>Jf'  •• 


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UNIV.  OF  CALIF.  .LIBRARY.  T  OS    ATVCFT 


By  St.  Peter  of  Russia,  I've  got  it  at  last!  "    (Page  219) 


A  Rock  in  the  Baltic 


By 

ROBERT    BARR 

Author  of 

"The  Triumphs  of  Eugene   Valmont," 

"Tekla,"  "In  the  Midst  of  Alarms" 

"Speculations  of  John  Steele" 

"The  Victors,"  Etc. 


Illustrated  in  Water-Colors  by  HERMANN  HEYER 

Copyright,   1906,   by  Robert  Barr 


BOSTON  STORE'S 

SPECIAL  EDITION 

For  Sale  exclusively  by  us  in  Fort  Smith,  Ark 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

THE  AUTHORS  AND  NEWSPAPERS  ASSOCIATION 
1906 


UNIV.  OF  CALIF.  LIBRARY.  LOS  ANGF1,K> 


Copyright,   1906,  by  Robert  Barr 


Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall 
All  rights  reserved 


Composition  and  Kloct.ro typing  by 

J.  J.  Little  &  Co. 

Printed  and  bound  by  the 

Manhattan  Press,   New  York 


A  Rock  in  the  Baltic 


2125543 


(FACSIMILE  PAGE  OF  MANUSCRIPT  FROM  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC) 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

CHAPTER   I 

THE  INCIDENT   AT  THE  BANK 

IN  the  public  room  of  the  Sixth  National 
Bank  at  Bar  Harbor  in  Maine,  Lieutenant 
Alan  DruTnmond,  H.M.S.  "  Consternation,"' 
stood  aside  to  give  precedence  to  a  lady.  The 
Lieutenant  had  visited  the  bank  for  the  pur- 
pose of  changing  several  crisp  white  Bank  of 
England  notes  into  the  currency  of  the  coun- 
try he  was  then  visiting.  The  lady  did  not 
appear  to  notice  either  his  courtesy  or  his 
presence,  and  this  was  the  more  remarkable 
since  Drummond  was  a  young  man  sufficiently: 
conspicuous  even  in  a  crowd,  and  he  and  she 
were,  at  that  moment,  the  only  customers  in 
the  bank.  He  was  tall,  well-knit  and  stal- 
wart, blond  as  a  Scandinavian,  with  dark 
blue  eyes  which  he  sometimes  said  jocularly 
were  the  colors  of  his  university.  He  had 
been  slowly  approaching  the  cashier's  win* 


8  A  BOOK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

dow  with  the  easy  movement  of  a  man  never 
in  a  hurry,  when  the  girl  appeared  at  the  door, 
and  advanced  rapidly  to  the  bank  counter 
with  its  brass  wire  screen  surrounding  the 
arched  aperture  behind  which  stood  the  cash- 
ier. Although  very  plainly  attired,  her  gown 
nevertheless  possessed  a  charm  of  simplicity 
that  almost  suggested  complex  Paris,  and  she 
wore  it  with  that  air  of  distinction  the  secret 
of  which  is  supposed  to  be  the  exclusive  prop- 
erty of  French  and  American  women. 

The  young  man  saw  nothing  of  this,  and 
although  he  appreciated  the  beauty  of  the 
girl,  what  struck  him  at  that  instant  was  the 
expression  of  anxiety  on  her  face,  whose  ap- 
parently temporary  pallor  was  accentuated 
by  an  abundance  of  dark  hair.  It  seemed  to 
Vn'Tn  that  she  had  resolutely  set  herself  a  task 
which  she  was  most  reluctant  to  perform. 
From  the  moment  she  entered  the  door  her 
large,  dark  eyes  were  fixed  almost  appeal- 
ingly  on  the  cashier,  and  they  beheld  nothing 
else.  Drummond,  mentally  slow  as  he  usually 
was,  came  to  the  quick  conclusion  that  this 
was  a  supreme  moment  in  her  life,  on  which 
perhaps  great  issues  depended.  He  saw  her 
left  hand  grasp  the  corner  of  the  ledge  in 
front  of  the  cashier  with  a  grip  of  nervous 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  9 

tension,  as  if  the  support  thus  attained  was 
necessary  to  her.  Her  right  hand  trembled 
slightly  as  she  passed  an  oblong  slip  of  paper 
through  the  aperture  to  the  calm  and  indif- 
ferent official. 

"  Will  you  give  me  the  money  for  this 
check?  "  she  asked  in  a  low  voice. 

The  cashier  scrutinized  the  document  for 
some  time  in  silence.  The  signature  appeared 
unfamiliar  to  him. 

"  One  moment,  madam,"  he  said  quietly, 
and  retired  to  a  desk  in  the  back  part  of  the 
bank,  where  he  opened  a  huge  book,  turned 
over  some  leaves  rapidly,  and  ran  his  finger 
down  a  page.  His  dilatory  action  seemed  to 
increase  the  young  woman's  panic.  Her  pal- 
lor increased,  and  she  swayed  slightly,  as  if 
in  danger  of  falling,  but  brought  her  right 
hand  to  the  assistance  of  the  left,  and  so 
steadied  herself  against  the  ledge  of  the  cash- 
ier's counter. 

"  By  Jove!  "  said  the  Lieutenant  to  him- 
self, "  there's  something  wrong  here.  I  won- 
der what  it  is.  Such  a  pretty  girl,  too !  ' 

The  cashier  behind  his  screen  saw  nothing 
of  this  play  of  the  emotions.  He  returned 
nonchalantly  to  his  station,  and  asked,  in  com- 
monplace tones : 


10  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  How  will  you  have  the  money,  madam?  ' 

"  Gold,  if  you  please,"  she  replied  almost 
in  a  whisper,  a  rosy  flush  chasing  the  white- 
ness from  her  face,  while  a  deep  sigh  marked 
the  passing  of  a  crisis. 

At  this  juncture  an  extraordinary  thing 
happened.  The  cashier  counted  out  some 
golden  coins,  and  passed  them  through  the 
aperture  toward  their  new  owner. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  girl.  Then,  with- 
out touching  the  money,  she  turned  like  one 
hypnotized,  her  unseeing  eyes  still  taking  no 
heed  of  the  big  Lieutenant,  and  passed  rapidly 
out  of  the  bank.  The  cashier  paid  no  regard 
to  this  abandonment  of  treasure.  He  was 
writing  some  hieroglyphics  on  the  cashed 
check. 

"  By  Jove!  "  gasped  the  Lieutenant  aloud, 
springing  forward  as  he  spoke,  sweeping  the 
coins  into  his  hand,  and  bolting  for  the  door. 
This  was  an  action  which  would  have  awak- 
ened the  most  negligent  cashier  had  he  been 
in  a  trance.  Automatically  he  whisked  out  a 
revolver  which  lay  in  an  open  drawer  under 
Ms  hand. 

"  Stop,  you  scoundrel,  or  I  fire!  '  he 
shouted,  but  the  Lieutenant  had  already  dis- 
appeared. Quick  as  thought  the  cashier 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  11 

darted  into  the  passage,  and  without  waiting 
to  unfasten  the  low  door  which  separated  the 
public  and  private  rooms  of  the  bank,  leaped 
over  it,  and,  bareheaded,  gave  chase.  A  Brit- 
ish naval  officer  in  uniform,  rapidly  overtak- 
ing a  young  woman,  quite  unconscious  of  his 
approach,  followed  by  an  excited,  bareheaded 
man  with  a  revolver  in  his  grasp,  was  a  sight 
which  would  quickly  have  collected  a  crowd 
almost  anywhere,  but  it  happened  to  be  the 
lunch  hour,  and  the  inhabitants  of  that  fa- 
mous summer  resort  were  in-doors ;  thus,  for- 
tunately, the  street  was  deserted.  The  naval 
officer  was  there  because  the  hour  of  the  mid- 
day meal  on  board  the  cruiser  did  not  coincide 
with  lunch  time  on  shore.  The  girl  was  there 
because  it  happened  to  be  the  only  portion  of 
the  day  when  she  could  withdraw  unobserved 
from  the  house  in  which  she  lived,  during 
banking  hours,  to  try  her  little  agitating 
financial  experiment.  The  cashier  was  there 
because  the  bank  had  no  lunch  hour,  and  be- 
cause he  had  just  witnessed  the  most  sus- 
picious circumstance  that  his  constantly  alert 
eye  had  ever  beheld.  Calm  and  imperturbable 
as  a  bank  cashier  may  appear  to  the  outside 
public,  he  is  a  man  under  constant  strain  dur-* 
ing  business  hours.  Each  person  with  whom 


12  A  BOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

he  is  unacquainted  that  confronts  him  at  his 
post  is  a  possible  robber  who  at  any  moment 
may  attempt,  either  by  violence  or  chicanery, 
to  filch  the  treasure  he  guards.  The  happen- 
ing of  any  event  outside  the  usual  routine  at 
once  arouses  a  cashier's  distrust,  and  this 
sudden  flight  of  a  stranger  with  money  which 
did  not  belong  to  him  quite  justified  the  per- 
turbation of  the  cashier.  From  that  point 
onward,  innocence  of  conduct  or  explanation 
so  explicit  as  to  satisfy  any  ordinary  man,  be- 
comes evidence  of  more  subtle  guilt  to  the 
mind  of  a  bank  official.  The  ordinary  citizen, 
seeing  the  Lieutenant  finally  overtake  and 
accost  the  hurrying  girl,  raise  his  cap,  then 
pour  into  her  outstretched  hand  the  gold  he 
had  taken,  would  have  known  at  once  that 
here  was  an  every-day  exercise  of  natural 
politeness.  Not  so  the  cashier.  The  farther 
he  got  from  the  bank,  the  more  poignantly 
did  he  realize  that  these  two  in  front,  both 
strangers  to  him,  had,  by  their  combined 
action,  lured  him,  pistol  and  all,  away  from 
his  post  during  the  dullest  hour  of  the  day. 
It  was  not  the  decamping  with  those  few 
pieces  of  gold  which  now  troubled  him :  it  was 
fear  of  what  might  be  going  on  behind  him. 
He  was  positive  that  these  two  had  acted  in 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  13 

conjunction.  The  uniform  worn  by  the  man  did 
not  impose  upon  him.  Any  thief  could  easily 
come  by  a  uniform,  and,  as  his  mind  glanced 
rapidly  backwards  over  the  various  points  of 
the  scheme,  he  saw  how  effectual  the  plan  was : 
first,  the  incredible  remissness  of  the  woman 
in  leaving  her  gold  on  the  counter;  second, 
the  impetuous  disappearance  of  the  man  with 
the  money;  and,  third,  his  own  heedless 
plunge  into  the  street  after  them.  He  saw 
the  whole  plot  in  a  flash:  he  had  literally 
leaped  into  the  trap,  and  during  his  five  or 
ten  minutes'  absence,  the  accomplices  of 
the  pair  might  have  overawed  the  unarmed 
clerks,  and  walked  off  with  the  treasure.  His 
cash  drawer  was  unlocked,  and  even  the  big 
safe  stood  wide  open.  Surprise  had  as  ef- 
fectually lured  him  away  as  if  he  had  been 
a  country  bumpkin.  Bitterly  and  breath- 
lessly did  he  curse  his  own  precipitancy.  His 
duty  was  to  guard  the  bank,  yet  it  had  not 
been  the  bank  that  was  robbed,  but  at  best  a 
careless  woman  who  had  failed  to  pick  up  her 
money.  He  held  the  check  for  it,  and  the  loss, 
if  any,  was  hers,  not  the  bank's,  yet  here  he 
was,  running  bareheaded  down  the  street  like 
a  fool,  and  now  those  two  stood  quite  calmly 
together,  he  handing  her  the  money,  and  thus 


14  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

spreading  a  mantle  of  innocence  over  the  vile 
trick.  But  whatever  was  happening  in  the 
bank,  he  would  secure  two  of  the  culprits  at 
least.  The  two,  quite  oblivious  of  the  danger 
that  threatened  them,  were  somewhat  startled 
by  a  panting  man,  trembling  with  rage,  bare- 
headed, and  flourishing  a  deadly  weapon, 
sweeping  down  upon  them. 

"  Come  back  to  the  bank  instantly,  you 
two!  "  he  shouted. 

"  Why?  "  asked  the  Lieutenant  in  a  quiet 
voice. 

"  Because  I  say  so,  for  one  thing." 

"  That  reason  is  unanswerable,"  replied 
the  Lieutenant  with  a  slight  laugh,  which  fur- 
ther exasperated  his  opponent.  "  I  think 
you  are  exciting  yourself  unnecessarily.  May 
I  beg  you  to  put  that  pistol  in  your  pocket*? 
On  the  cruiser  we  always  cover  up  the  guns 
when  ladies  honor  us  with  their  presence. 
You  wish  me  to  return  because  I  had  no  au- 
thority for  taking  the  money?  Eight:  come 
along. ' ' 

The  cashier  regarded  this  as  bluff,  and  an 
attempt  to  give  the  woman  opportunity  to 
escape. 

"  You  must  come  back  also,"  he  said  to  the 
girl. 


A  ROCK  DT   THE  BALTIC  15 

"  I'd  rather  not,"  she  pleaded  in  a  low 
voice,  and  it  was  hardly  possible  to  have  made 
a  more  injudicious  remark  if  she  had  taken 
the  whole  afternoon  to  prepare. 

Renewed  determination  shone  from  the  face 
of  the  cashier. 

"  You  must  come  back  to  the  bank,"  he 
reiterated. 

"  Oh,  I  say,"  protested  the  Lieutenant, 
"  you  are  now  exceeding  your  authority.  I 
alone  am  the  culprit.  The  young  lady  is  quite 
blameless,  and  you  have  no  right  to  detain  her 
for  a  moment. ' ' 

The  girl,  who  had  been  edging  away  and 
showing  signs  of  flight,  wThich  the  bareheaded 
man,  visibly  on  the  alert,  leaned  forward 
ready  to  intercept,  seemed  to  make  up  her 
mind  to  bow  to  the  inevitable.  Ignoring  the 
cashier,  she  looked  up  at  the  blond  Lieutenant 
with  a  slight  smile  on  her  pretty  lips. 

"  It  was  really  all  my  fault  at  the  begin- 
ning," she  said,  "  and  very  stupid  of  me.  I 
am  slightly  acquainted  with  the  bank  man- 
ager, and  I  am  sure  he  will  vouch  for  me,  if 
he  is  there." 

With  that  she  turned  and  walked  briskly 
toward  the  bank,  at  so  rapid  a  pace  as  to  in- 
dicate that  she  did  not  wish  an  escort.  The 


16  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

bareheaded    official    found   his    anger    unac 
countably  deserting  him,  while  a  great  fear 
that  he  had  put  his  foot  in  it  took  its  place. 

"  Really,"  said  the  Lieutenant  gently,  as 
they  strode  along  together,  "  an  official  in 
your  position  should  be  a  good  judge  of  hu- 
man nature.  How  any  sane  person,  espe- 
cially a  young  man,  can  look  at  that  beauti- 
ful girl  and  suspect  her  of  evil,  passes  my 
comprehension.  Do  you  know  her?  ' 

"  No,"  said  the  cashier  shortly.  "  Do 
you?  " 

The  Lieutenant  laughed  genially. 

"  Still  suspicious,  eh?  "  he  asked.  "  No,  I 
don't  know  her,  but  to  use  a  banking  term, 
you  may  bet  your  bottom  dollar  I'm  going 
to.  Indeed,  I  am  rather  grateful  to  you  for 
your  stubbornness  in  forcing  us  to  return. 
It's  a  quality  I  like,  and  you  possess  it  in  mar- 
velous development,  so  I  intend  to  stand  by 
you  when  the  managerial  censure  is  due.  I'm 
very  certain  I  met  your  manager  at  the  dinner 
they  gave  us  last  night.  Mr.  Morton,  isn't 
he?  " 

"  Yes,"  growled  the  cashier,  in  gruff  de- 
spondency. 

"  Ah,  that's  awfully  jolly.  One  of  the  finest 
fellows  I've  met  in  ten  years.  Now,  the  lady 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  17 

said  she  was  acquainted  with  him,  so  if  I  don't 
wheedle  an  introduction  out  of  him,  it  will 
show  that  a  man  at  a  dinner  and  a  man  in  a 
bank  are  two  different  individuals.  You  were 
looking  for  plots ;  so  there  is  mine  laid  bare  to 
you.  It's  an  introduction,  not  gold,  I'm  con- 
spiring for." 

The  cashier  had  nothing  further  to  say. 
When  they  entered  the  bank  together  he  saw 
the  clerks  all  busily  at  work,  and  knew  that 
no  startling  event  had  happened  during  his 
absence.  The  girl  had  gone  direct  to  the  man- 
ager's room,  and  thither  the  young  men  fol- 
lowed her.  The  bank  manager  was  standing 
at  his  desk,  trying  to  preserve  a  severe  finan- 
cial cast  of  countenance,  which  the  twinkle  in 
his  eyes  belied.  The  girl,  also  standing,  had 
evidently  been  giving  him  a  rapid  sketch  of 
what  had  occurred,  but  now  fell  into  silence 
when  accuser  and  accomplice  appeared. 

The  advent  of  the  Englishman  was  a  god- 
send to  the  manager.  He  was  too  courteous 
a  gentleman  to  laugh  in  the  face  of  a  lady 
who  very  seriously  was  relating  a  set  of  in- 
cidents which  appealed  to  his  sense  of  humor, 
so  the  coming  of  the  Lieutenant  enabled  him 

to  switch  off  his  mirth  on  another  subject, 
2 


18  A  ROCK  IN"   THE  BALTIC 

and  in  reply  to  the  officer's  cordial  "  Good- 
morning,  Mr.  Morton,"  he  replied: 

"  Why,  Lieutenant,  I'm  delighted  to  see 
you.  That  was  a  very  jolly  song  you  sang 
for  us  last  night:  I'll  never  forget  it.  What 
do  you  call  it?  Whittington  Fair?  "  And 
he  laughed  outright,  as  at  a  genial  recollec- 
tion. 

The  Lieutenant  blushed  red  as  a  girl,  and 
stammered : 

"  Really,  Mr.  Morton,  you  know,  that's  not 
according  to  the  rules  of  evidence.  When  a 
fellow  comes  up  for  trial,  previous  convic- 
tions are  never  allowed  to  be  mentioned  till 
after  the  sentence.  Whiddicomb  Fair  should 
not  be  held  against  me  in  the  present  crisis. ' ' 

The  manager  chuckled  gleefully.  The  cash- 
ier, when  he  saw  how  the  land  lay,  had  quietly 
withdrawn,  closing  the  door  behind  him. 

"  Well,  Lieutenant,  I  think  I  must  have 
this  incident  cabled  to  Europe,"  said  Morton, 
"  so  the  effete  nations  of  your  continent  may 
know  that  a  plain  bank  cashier  isn't  afraid 
to  tackle  the  British  navy.  Indeed,  Mr. 
Drummond,  if  you  read  history,  you  will 
learn  that  this  is  a  dangerous  coast  for  your 
warships.  It  seems  rather  inhospitable  that 
a  guest  of  our  town  cannot  pick  all  the  gold 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  19 

he  wants  out  of  a  bank,  but  a  cashier  has 
necessarily  somewhat  narrow  views  on  the 
subject.  I  was  just  about  to  apologize  to  Miss 
Amhurst,  who  is  a  valued  client  of  ours,  when 
you  came  in,  and  I  hope,  Miss  Amhurst  " — 
he  continued  gravely,  turning  to  the  girl — 
"  that  you  will  excuse  us  for  the  inconven- 
ience to  which  you  have  been  put." 

11  Oh,  it  does  not  matter  in  the  least/'  re- 
plied the  young  woman,  with  nevertheless  a 
sigh  of  relief.  "  It  was  all  my  own  fault  in 
so  carelessly  leaving  the  money.  Some  time, 
when  less  in  a  hurry  than  I  am  at  the  present 
moment,  I  will  tell  you  how  I  came  to  make 
the  blunder. " 

Meanwhile  the  manager  caught  and  inter- 
preted correctly  an  imploring  look  from  the 
Lieutenant. 

"  Before  you  go,  Miss  Amhurst,  will  you 
permit  me  to  introduce  to  you  my  friend, 
Lieutenant  Drummond,  of  H.M.S.  '  Conster- 
nation.' 

This  ritual  to  convention  being  performed, 
the  expression  on  the  girl's  face  showed  the 
renewal  of  her  anxiety  to  be  gone,  and  as  she 
turned  to  the  door,  the  officer  sprang  forward 
and  opened  it  for  her.  If  the  manager  ex- 
pected the  young  man  to  return,  he  was  dis- 


20  A   EOCK   IN   THE   BALTIC 

appointed,  for  Drummond  threw  over  his 
shoulder  the  hasty  remark : 

"  I  will  see  you  at  the  Club  this  evening," 
whereupon  the  genial  Morton,  finding  him- 
self deserted,  sat  down  in  his  swivel  chair  and 
laughed  quietly  to  himself. 

There  was  the  slightest  possible  shade  of 
annoyance  on  the  girl's  face  as  the  sailor 
walked  beside  her  from  the  door  of  the  man- 
ager's room,  through  the  public  portion  of  the 
bank  to  the  exit,  and  the  young  man  noticing 
this,  became  momentarily  tongue-tied,  but 
nevertheless  persisted,  with  a  certain  awk- 
ward doggedness  which  was  not  going  to 
allow  so  slight  a  hint  that  his  further  attend- 
ance was  unnecessary,  to  baffle  him.  He  did 
not  speak  until  they  had  passed  down  the 
stone  steps  to  the  pavement,  and  then  his 
utterance  began  with  a  half-embarrassed 
stammer,  as  if  the  shadow  of  displeasure  de- 
manded justification  on  his  part. 

"  You — you  see,  Miss  Amhurst,  we  have 
been  properly  introduced." 

For  the  first  time  he  heard  the  girl  laugh, 
just  a  little,  and  the  sound  was  very  musical 
to  him. 

"  The  introduction  was  of  the  slightest," 
she  said.  "  I  cannot  claim  even  an  acquaint- 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  21 

ance  with  Mr.  Morton,  although  I  did  so  in 
the  presence  of  his  persistent  subordinate.  I 
have  met  the  manager  of  the  bank  but  once 
before,  and  that  for  a  few  moments  only, 
when  he  showed  me  where  to  sign  my  name 
in  a  big  book. ' ' 

"  Nevertheless/'  urged  Drummond,  "  I 
shall  defend  the  validity  of  that  introduction 
against  all  comers.  The  head  of  a  bank  is  a 
most  important  man  in  every  country,  and 
his  commendation  is  really  very  much  sought 
after." 

"  You  appear  to  possess  it.  He  compli- 
mented your  singing,  you  know,"  and  there 
was  a  roguish  twinkle  in  the  girl's  eye  as  she 
glanced  up  sideways  at  him,  while  a  smile 
came  to  her  lips  as  she  saw  the  color  again 
mount  to  his  cheeks.  She  had  never  before 
met  a  man  who  blushed,  and  she  could  not 
help  regarding  him  rather  as  a  big  boy  than 
a  person  to  be  taken  seriously.  His  stammer 
became  more  pronounced. 

"  I — I  think  you  are  laughing  at  me,  Miss 
Amhurst,  and  indeed  I  don't  wonder  at  it, 
and  I — I  am  afraid  you  consider  me  even 
more  persistent  than  the  cashier.  But  I  did 
want  to  tell  you  how  sorry  I  am  to  have  caused 
you  annoyance." 


22  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

"  Oh,  you  have  not  done  so,"  replied  the 
girl  quickly.  "  As  I  said  before,  it  was  all 
my  own  fault  in  the  beginning. ' ' 

"  No,  I  shouldn't  have  taken  the  gold.  I 
should  have  come  up  with  you,  and  told  you 
that  it  still  awaited  you  in  the  bank,  and  now 
I  beg  your  permission  to  walk  down  the  street 
with  you,  because  if  any  one  were  looking  at 
us  from  these  windows,  and  saw  us  pursued 
by  a  bareheaded  man  with  a  revolver,  they 
will  now,  on  looking  out  again,  learn  that  it 
is  all  right,  and  may  even  come  to  regard  the 
revolver  and  the  hatless  one  as  an  optical  de- 
lusion," 

Again  the  girl  laughed. 

"  I  am  quite  unknown  in  Bar  Harbor,  hav- 
ing fewer  acquaintances  than  even  a  stranger 
like  yourself,  therefore  so  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned it  does  not  in  the  least  matter  whether 
any  one  saw  us  or  not.  We  shall  walk  to- 
gether, then,  as  far  as  the  spot  where  the 
cashier  overtook  us,  and  this  will  give  me 
an  opportunity  of  explaining,  if  not  of  ex- 
cusing, my  leaving  the  money  on  the  counter. 
I  am  sure  my  conduct  must  have  appeared 
inexplicable  both  to  you  and  the  cashier,  al- 
though, of  course,  you  would  be  too  polite  to 
say  so." 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  23 

"  I  assure  you,  Miss  Amliurst " 

"  I  know  what  you  would  say,"  she  inter- 
rupted, with  a  vivacity  which  had  not  here- 
tofore characterized  her,  "  but,  you  see,  the 
distance  to  the  corner  is  short,  and,  as  I  am 
in  a  hurry,  if  you  don't  wish  my  story  to  be 
continued  in  our  next " 

"  Ah,  if  there  is  to  be  a  next — "  murmured 
the  young  man  so  fervently  that  it  was  now 
the  turn  of  color  to  redden  her  cheeks. 

"  I  am  talking  heedlessly,"  she  said  quickly. 
"  What  I  want  to  say  is  this:  I  have  never 
had  much  money.  Quite  recently  I  inherited 
what  had  been  accumulated  by  a  relative 
whom  I  never  knew.  It  seemed  so  incredible, 
so  strange — well,  it  seems  incredible  and 
strange  yet — and  I  have  been  expecting  to 
wake  and  find  it  all  a  dream.  Indeed,  when 
you  overtook  me  at  this  spot  where  we  now 
stand,  I  feared  you  had  come  to  tell  me  it  was 
a  mistake ;  to  hurl  me  from  the  clouds  to  the 
hard  earth  again. ' ' 

"  But  it  was  just  the  reverse  of  that,"  he 
cried  eagerly.  "  Just  the  reverse,  remember. 
I  came  to  confirm  your  dream,  and  you  re- 
ceived from  my  hand  the  first  of  your  for- 
tune." 


24  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  Yes,"  she  admitted,  her  eyes  fixed  on  the 
sidewalk. 

"  I  see  how  it  was,"  he  continued  enthu- 
siastically. ' '  I  suppose  you  had  never  drawn 
a  check  before." 

"  Never,"  she  conceded. 

"  And  this  was  merely  a  test.  You  set  up 
your  dream  against  the  hard  common  sense  of 
a  bank,  which  has  no  dreams.  You  were  to 
transform  your  vision  into  the  actual,  or  find 
it  vanish.  "When  the  commonplace  cashier 
passed  forth  the  coin,  their  jingle  said  to 
you,  *  The  supposed  phantasy  is  real, '  but  the 
gold  pieces  themselves  at  that  supreme  mo- 
ment meant  no  more  to  you  than  so  many 
worthless  counters,  so  you  turned  your  back 
upon  them." 

She  looked  up  at  him,  her  eyes,  though 
moist,  illumined  with  pleasure  inspired  by  the 
sympathy  in  his  tones  rather  than  the  import 
of  his  words.  The  girl's  life  heretofore  had 
been  as  scant  of  kindness  as  of  cash,  and  there 
was  a  deep  sincerity  in  his  voice  which  was  as 
refreshing  to  her  lonesome  heart  as  it  was 
new  to  her  experience.  This  man  was  not  so 
stupid  as  he  had  pretended  to  be.  He  had 
accurately  divined  the  inner  meaning  of  what 
had  happened.  She  had  forgotten  the  neces- 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  25 

sity  for  haste  which  had  been  so  importunate 
a  few  minutes  before. 

"  You  must  be  a  mind-reader,"  she  said. 

"  No,  I  am  not  at  all  a  clever  person,"  he 
laughed.  "  Indeed,  as  I  told  you,  I  am  al- 
ways blundering  into  trouble,  and  making 
things  uncomfortable  for  my  friends.  I  re- 
gret to  say  I  am  rather  under  a  cloud  just  now 
in  the  service,  and  I  have  been  called  upon  to 
endure  the  frown  of  my  superiors. ' ' 

"  Why,  what  has  happened?  "  she  asked. 
After  their  temporary  halt  at  the  corner 
where  they  had  been  overtaken,  they  now 
strolled  along  together  like  old  friends,  her 
prohibition  out  of  mind. 

"  Well,  you  see,  I  was  temporarily  in  com- 
mand of  the  cruiser  coming  down  the  Baltic, 
and  passing  an  island  rock  a  few  miles  away, 
I  thought  it  would  be  a  good  opportunity  to 
test  a  new  gun  that  had  been  put  aboard  when 
we  left  England.  The  sea  was  very  calm,  and 
the  rock  most  temptsome.  Of  course  I  knew 
it  was  Russian  territory,  but  who  could  have 
imagined  that  such  a  point  in  space  was  in- 
habited by  anything  else  than  sea-gulls. ' ' 

"  What!  "  cried  the  girl,  looking  up  at  him 
with  new  interest.  "  You  don't  mean  to  say 


26  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

you  are  the  officer  that  Russia  demanded  from 
England,  and  England  refused  to  give  up?  ' 

"  Oh,  England  could  not  give  me  up,  of 
course,  but  she  apologized,  and  assured  Russia 
she  had  no  evil  intent.  Still,  anything  that 
sets  the  diplomatists  at  work  is  frowned 
upon,  and  the  man  who  does  an  act  which  his 
government  is  forced  to  disclaim  becomes  un- 
popular with  his  superiors." 

"  I  read  about  it  in  the  papers  at  the  time. 
Didn't  the  rock  fire  back  at  you?  ' 

"  Yes,  it  did,  and  no  one  could  have  been 
more  surprised  than  I  when  I  saw  the  answer- 
ing puff  of  smoke. ' ' 

* '  How  came  a  cannon  to  be  there  ?  ' 

"  Nobody  knows.  I  suppose  that  rock  in 
the  Baltic  is  a  concealed  fort,  with  galleries 
and  gun-rooms  cut  in  the  stone  after  the  fash- 
ion of  our  defences  at  Gibraltar.  I  told  the 
court-martial  that  I  had  added  a  valuable  bit 
of  information  to  our  naval  knowledge,  but 
I  don't  suppose  this  contention  exercised  any 
influence  on  the  minds  of  my  judges.  I  also 
called  their  attention  to  the  fact  that  my  shell 
had  hit,  while  the  Russian  shot  fell  half  a  mile 
short.  That  remark  nearly  cost  me  my  com- 
mission. A  court-martial  has  no  sense  of 
humor. ' ' 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  27 

"  I  suppose  everything  is  satisfactorily 
settled  now?  " 

"  Well,  hardly  that.  You  see,  Continental 
nations  are  extremely  suspicious  of  Britain's 
good  intentions,  as  indeed  they  are  of  the 
good  intentions  of  each  other.  No  govern- 
ment likes  to  have — well,  what  we  might  call 
a  '  frontier  incident  '  happen,  and  even  if  a 
country  is  quite  in  the  right,  it  nevertheless 
looks  askance  at  any  official  of  its  own  who, 
through  his  stupidity,  brings  about  an  inter- 
national complication.  As  concerns  myself,  I 
am  rather  under  a  cloud,  as  I  told  you.  The 
court-martial  acquitted  me,  but  it  did  so  with 
reluctance  and  a  warning.  I  shall  have  to 
walk  very  straight  for  the  next  year  or  two, 
and  be  careful  not  to  stub  my  toe,  for  the  eyes 
of  the  Admiralty  are  upon  me.  However,  I 
think  I  can  straighten  this  matter  out.  I 
have  six  months'  leave  coming  on  shortly, 
which  I  intend  to  spend  in  St.  Petersburg.  I 
shall  make  it  my  business  to  see  privately 
some  of  the  officials  in  the  Admiralty  there, 
and  when  they  realize  by  personal  inspection 
what  a  well-intentioned  idiot  I  am,  all  dis- 
trust will  vanish." 

"  I  should  do  nothing  of  the  kind,"  re- 
joined the  girl  earnestly,  quite  forgetting  the 


28  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

shortness  of  their  acquaintance,  as  she  had 
forgotten  the  flight  of  time,  while  on  his  part 
he  did  not  notice  any  incongruity  in  the 
situation.  "I'd  leave  well  enough  alone,"  she 
added. 

"  Why  do  you  think  that?  "  he  asked. 

"  Your  own  country  has  investigated  the 
matter,  and  has  deliberately  run  the  risk  of 
unpleasantness  by  refusing  to  give  you  up. 
How,  then,  can  you  go  there  voluntarily? 
You  would  be  acting  in  your  private  capacity 
directly  in  opposition  to  the  decision  arrived 
at  by  your  government." 

"  Technically,  that  is  so;  still,  England 
would  not  hold  the  position  she  does  in  the 
world  to-day  if  her  men  had  not  often  taken 
a  course  in  their  private  capacity  which  the 
government  would  never  have  sanctioned.  As 
things  stand  now,  Eussia  has  not  insisted  on 
her  demand,  but  has  sullenly  accepted  Eng- 
land's decision,  still  quite  convinced  that  my 
act  was  not  only  an  invasion  of  Russia's  do- 
main, but  a  deliberate  insult;  therefore  the 
worst  results  of  an  inconsiderate  action  on 
my  part  remain.  If  I  could  see  the  Minister 
for  Foreign  Affairs,  or  the  head  of  the  Ad- 
miralty in  St.  Petersburg  face  to  face  for  ten 


A  ROCK  IN   THE   BALTIC  29 

minutes,  I'd  undertake  to  remove  that  im- 
pression." 

"  You  have  great  faith  in  your  persuasive 
powers,"  she  said  demurely. 

The  Lieutenant  began  to  stammer  again. 

"  No,  no,  it  isn't  so  much  that,  but  I  have 
great  faith  in  the  Russian  as  a  judge  of  char- 
acter. I  suppose  I  am  imagined  to  be  a  ven- 
omous, brow-beating,  truculent  Russophobe, 
who  has  maliciously  violated  their  territory, 
flinging  a  shell  into  their  ground  and  an  in- 
sult into  their  face.  They  are  quite  sincere 
in  this  belief.  I  want  to  remove  that  impres- 
sion, and  there's  nothing  like  an  ocular  dem- 
onstration. I  like  the  Russians.  One  of  my 
best  friends  is  a  Russian." 

The  girl  shook  her  head. 

"  I  shouldn't  attempt  it,"  she  persisted. 
"  Suppose  Russia  arrested  you,  and  said  to 
England,  i  We've  got  this  man  in  spite  of 
you'?" 

The  Lieutenant  laughed  heartily. 

"  That  is  unthinkable:  Russia  wouldn't  do 
such  a  thing.  In  spite  of  all  that  is  said  about 
the  Russian  Government,  its  members  are  gen- 
tlemen. Of  course,  if  such  a  thing  happened, 
there  would  be  trouble.  That  is  a  point  where 
we're  touchy.  A  very  cheap  Englishman, 


30  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

wrongfully  detained,  may  cause  a  most  expen- 
sive campaign.  Our  diplomatists  may  act 
correctly  enough,  and  yet  leave  a  feeling  of  re- 
sentment behind.  Take  this  very  case.  Brit- 
ain says  coldly  to  Eussia : 

' '  i  We  disclaim  the  act,  and  apologize. ' 

"  Now,  it  would  be  much  more  to  the  pur- 
pose if  she  said  genially : 

"  '  We  have  in  our  employment  an  impetu- 
ous young  fool  with  a  thirst  for  information. 
He  wished  to  learn  how  a  new  piece  of  ord- 
nance would  act,  so  fired  it  off  with  no  more 
intention  of  striking  Eussia  than  of  hitting 
the  moon.  He  knows  much  more  about  dan- 
cing than  about  foreign  affairs.  We've  given 
"hvm  a  month's  leave,  and  he  will  slip  across 
privately  to  St.  Petersburg  to  apologize  and 
explain.  The  moment  you  see  him  you  will 
recognize  he  is  no  menace  to  the  peace  of  na- 
tions. Meanwhile,  if  you  can  inculcate  in  him 
some  cold,  calm  common-sense  before  he  re- 
turns, we'll  be  ever  so  much  obliged.' 

"  So  you  are  determined  to  do  what  you 
think  the  government  should  have  done." 

* '  Oh,  quite.  There  will  be  nothing  frigidly 
official  about  my  unauthorized  mission.  I 
have  a  cousin  in  the  embassy  at  St.  Peters- 
burg, but  I  shan't  go  near  him;  neither  shall 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  31 

I  go  to  an  hotel,  but  will  get  quiet  rooms 
somewhere  that  I  may  not  run  the  risk  of 
meeting  any  chance  acquaintances." 

' '  It  seems  to  me  you  are  about  to  afford  the 
Russian  Government  an  excellent  opportu- 
nity of  spiriting  you  off  to  Siberia,  and  no- 
body would  be  the  wiser." 

Drummond  indulged  in  the  free-hearted 
laugh  of  a  youth  to  whom  life  is  still  rather  a 
good  joke. 

"  I  shouldn't  mind  studying  the  Siberian 
system  from  the  inside  if  they  allowed  me  to 
return  before  my  leave  was  up.  I  believe 
that  sort  of  thing  has  been  exaggerated  by 
sensational  writers.  The  Russian  Govern- 
ment would  not  countenance  anything  of  the 
kind,  and  if  the  minor  officials  tried  to  play 
tricks,  there's  always  my  cousin  in  the  back- 
ground, and  it  would  be  hard  luck  if  I  couldn't 
get  a  line  to  him.  Oh,  there 's  no  danger  in  my 
project!  r 

Suddenly  the  girl  came  to  a  standstill,  and 
gave  expression  to  a  little  cry  of  dismay. 

"  What's  wrong?  "  asked  the  Lieutenant. 

"  Why,  we've  walked  clear  out  into  the 
country!  ' 

"Oh,  is  that  all?    I  hadn't  noticed." 


32  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

"  And  there  are  people  waiting  for  me.  I 
must  run." 

"  Nonsense,  let  them  wait." 

"  I  should  have  been  back  long  since." 

They  had  turned,  and  she  was  hurrying. 

"  Think  of  your  new  fortune,  Miss  Am- 
hurst,  safely  lodged  in  our  friend  Morton's 
bank,  and  don't  hurry  for  any  one." 

"  I  didn't  say  it  was  a  fortune :  there's  only 
ten  thousand  dollars  there." 

"  That  sounds  formidable,  but  unless  the 
people  who  are  waiting  for  you  muster  more 
than  ten  thousand  apiece,  I  don't  think  you 
should  make  haste  on  their  account." 

"  It's  the  other  way  about,  Mr.  Drummond. 
Individually  they  are  poorer  than  I,  there- 
fore I  should  have  returned  long  ago.  Now, 
I  fear,  they  will  be  in  a  temper." 

"  Well,  if  anybody  left  me  two  thousand 
pounds,  I'd  take  an  afternoon  off.  to  celebrate. 
Here  we  are  in  the  suburbs  again.  Won't  you 
change  your  mind  and  your  direction;  let  us 
get  back  intoithe  country,  sit  down  on  the  hill- 
side, look  at  the  Bay,  and  gloat  over  your 
wealth!  " 

Dorothy  Amhurst  shook  her  head  and  held 
out  her  hand. 


A  ROCK  IN   THE   BALTIC  33 

"  I  must  bid  you  good-by  here,  Lieutenant 
Drummond.  This  is  my  shortest  way  home." 

"  May  I  not  accompany  you  just  a  little 
farther?  " 

"  Please,  no,  I  wish  to  go  the  rest  of  the 
way  alone." 

He  held  her  hand,  which  she  tried  to  with- 
draw, and  spoke  with  animation. 

"  There's  so  much  I  wanted  to  say,  but  per- 
haps the  most  important  is  this:  I  shall  see 
you  the  night  of  the  14th,  at  the  ball  we  are 
giving  on  the  *  Consternation  "?  " 

"  It  is  very  likely,"  laughed  the  girl,  "  un- 
less you  overlook  me  in  the  throng.  There 
will  be  a  great  mob.  I  hear  you  have  issued 
many  invitations. ' ' 

"  We  hope  all  our  friends  will  come.  It's 
going  to  be  a  great  function.  Your  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy  has  promised  to  look  in  on 
us,  and  our  Ambassador  from  Washington 
will  be  there.  I  assure  you  we  are  doing  our 
best,  with  festooned  electric  lights,  hanging 
draperies,  and  all  that,  for  we  want  to  make 
the  occasion  at  least  remotely  worthy  of  the 
hospitality  we  have  received.  Of  course  you 
have  your  card,  but  I  wish  you  hadn't,  so  that 
I  might  have  the  privilege  of  sending  you  one 
or  more  invitations." 


34  A  EOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

"  That  would  be  quite  unnecessary,"  said 
the  girl,  again  with  a  slight  laugh  and  height- 
ened color. 

"  If  any  of  your  friends  need  cards  of  in- 
vitation, won't  you  let  me  know,  so  that  I  may 
send  them  to  you?  ' 

"I'm  sure  I  shan't  need  any,  but  if  I  do, 
I  promise  to  remember  your  kindness,  and 
apply." 

"  It  will  be  a  pleasure  for  me  to  serve  you. 
With  whom  shall  you  come  ?  I  should  like  to 
know  the  name,  in  case  I  should  miss  you  in 
the  crowd." 

"  I  expect  to  be  with  Captain  Kempt,  of 
the  United  States  Navy." 

"  Ah,"  said  the  Lieutenant,  with  a  note  of 
disappointment  in  his  voice  which  he  had  not 
the  diplomacy  to  conceal.  His  hold  of  her 
hand  relaxed,  and  she  took  the  opportunity 
to  withdraw  it. 

"  What  sort  of  a  man  is  Captain  Kempt? 
I  shall  be  on  the  lookout  for  him,  you  know." 

"  I  think  he  is  the  handsomest  man  I  have 
ever  seen,  and  I  know  he  is  the  kindest  and 
most  courteous." 

"  Really?    A  young  man,  I  take  it?  " 

"  There  speaks  the  conceit  of  youth,"  said 
Dorothy,  smiling.  "  Captain  Kempt,  U.SJST., 


A   ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  35 

retired.  His  youngest  daughter  is  just  two 
years  older  than  myself. ' ' 

"  Oh,  yes,  Captain  Kempt.  I — I  remember 
him  now.  He  was  at  the  dinner  last  night, 
and  sat  beside  our  captain.  What  a  splendid 
story-teller  he  is !  "  cried  the  Lieutenant  with 
honest  enthusiasm. 

"  I  shall  tell  him  that,  and  ask  him  how  he 
liked  your  song.  Good-by,"  and  before  the 
young  man  could  collect  his  thoughts  to  make 
any  reply,  she  was  gone. 

Skimming  lightly  over  the  ground  at  first, 
she  gradually  slackened  her  pace,  and  slowed 
down  to  a  very  sober  walk  until  she  came  to  a 
three-storied  so-called  "  cottage  "  overlooking 
the  Bay,  then  with  a  sigh  she  opened  the  gate, 
and  went  into  the  house  by  the  servant's  en- 
trance. 


CHAPTER   II 

IN"  THE  SEWING-ROOM 

THREE  women  occupied  the  sewing-room 
with  the  splendid  outlook:  a  mother  and  her 
two  daughters.  The  mother  sat  in  a  low  rock- 
ing-chair, a  picture  of  mournful  helplessness, 
her  hands  listlessly  resting  on  her  lap,  while 
tears  had  left  their  traces  on  her  time-worn 
face.  The  elder  daughter  paced  up  and  down 
the  room  as  striking  an  example  of  energy 
and  impatience  as  was  the  mother  of  despond- 
ency. Her  comely  brow  was  marred  by  an 
angry  frown.  The  younger  daughter  stood 
by  the  long  window,  her  forehead  resting 
against  the  pane,  while  her  fingers  drummed 
idly  on  the  window  sill.  Her  gaze  was  fixed 
on  the  blue  Bay,  where  rested  the  huge  British 
warship  "  Consternation,"  surrounded  by  a 
section  of  the  United  States  squadron  seated 
like  white  swans  in  the  water.  Sails  of  snow 
glistened  here  and  there  on  the  bosom  of  the 
Bay,  while  motor-boats  and  what-not  darted 


A  ROCK  IN  THE   BALTIC  37 

tliis  way  and  that  impudently  among  the 
stately  ships  of  the  fleet. 

In  one  corner  of  the  room  stood  a  sewing- 
machine,  and  on  the  long  table  were  piles  of 
flimsy  stuff  out  of  which  feminine  creations 
are  constructed.  There  was  no  carpet  on  the 
floor,  and  no  ceiling  overhead;  merely  the 
bare  rafters  and  the  boards  that  bore  the  pine 
shingles  of  the  outer  roof;  yet  this  attic  was 
notable  for  the  glorious  view  to  be  seen  from 
its  window.  It  was  an  ideal  workshop. 

The  elder  girl,  as  she  walked  to  and  fro, 
spoke  with  nervous  irritation  in  her  voice. 

"  There  is  absolutely  no  excuse,  mamma, 
and  it's  weakness  in  you  to  pretend  that  there 
may  be.  The  woman  has  been  gone  for  hours. 
There 's  her  lunch  on  the  table  which  has  never 
been  tasted,  and  the  servant  brought  it  up  at 
twelve." 

She  pointed  to  a  tray  on  which  were  dishes 
whose  cold  contents  bore  out  the  truth  of  her 
remark. 

"  Perhaps  she's  gone  on  strike,"  said  the 
younger  daughter,  without  removing  her  eyes 
from  H.M.S. ' l  Consternation. "  "I  shouldn  't 
wonder  if  we  went  downstairs  again  we'd  find 
the  house  picketed  to  keep  away  blacklegs." 

"  Oh,  you  can  always  be  depended  on  to 


38  A  ROCK:  IN  THE  BALTIC 

talk  frivolous  nonsense,"  said  her  elder  sister 
scornfully.  "  It's  the  silly  sentimental  fash- 
ion in  which  both  you  and  father  treat  work- 
people that  makes  them  so  difficult  to  deal 
with.  If  the  working  classes  were  taught 
their  place " 

"  Working  classes!  How  you  talk!  Doro- 
thy is  as  much  a  lady  as  we  are,  and  some- 
times I  think  rather  more  of  a  lady  than  either 
of  us.  She  is  the  daughter  of  a  clergyman. ' ' 

"  So  she  says,"  sniffed  the  elder  girl. 

"  Well,  she  ought  to  know,"  replied  the 
younger  indifferently. 

"  It's  people  like  you  who  spoil  dependents 
in  her  position,  with  your  Dorothy  this  and 
Dorothy  that.  Her  name  is  Amhurst. " 

"  Christened  Dorothy,  as  witness  godfather 
and  godmother, ' '  murmured  the  younger  with- 
out turning  her  head. 

"  I  think,"  protested  their  mother  meekly, 
as  if  to  suggest  a  compromise,  and  throw  oil 
on  the  troubled  waters,  "  that  she  is  entitled 
to  be  called  Miss  Amhurst,  and  treated  with 
kindness  but  with  reserve. ' ' 

"  Tush!  "  exclaimed  the  elder  indignantly, 
indicating  her  rejection  of  the  compromise. 

"  I  don't  see,"  murmured  the  younger, 
"  why  you  should  storm,  Sabina.  You  nagged 


A  EOCK  INT  THE  BALTIC  39 

and  nagged  at  her  until  she'd  finished  your 
ball-dress.  It  is  mamma  and  I  that  have  a 
right  to  complain.  Our  dresses  are  almost 
untouched,  while  you  can  sail  grandly  along 
the  decks  of  the  '  Consternation  '  like  a  fully 
rigged  yacht.  There,  I'm  mixing  my  similes 
again,  as  papa  always  says.  A  yacht  doesn't 
sail  along  the  deck  of  a  battleship,  does  it?  ' 

"  It's  a  cruiser,"  weakly  corrected  the 
mother,  who  knew  something  of  naval  affairs. 

"  AVell,  cruiser,  then.  Sabina  is  afraid  that 
papa  won't  go  unless  we  all  have  grand  new 
dresses,  but  mother  can  put  on  her  old  black 
silk,  and  I  am  going  if  I  have  to  wear  a  cot- 
ton gown." 

"  To  think  of  that  person  accepting  our 
money,  and  absenting  herself  in  this  disgrace- 
ful way!" 

"  Accepting  our  money!  That  shows  what 
it  is  to  have  an  imagination.  Why,  I  don't 
suppose  Dorothy  has  had  a  penny  for  three 
months,  and  you  know  the  dress  material  was 
bought  on  credit." 

"  You  must  remember,"  chided  the  mother 
mildly,  "  that  your  father  is  not  rich." 

"  Oh,  I  am  only  pleading  for  a  little  hu- 
manity. The  girl  for  some  reason  has  gone 
out.  She  hasn't  had  a  bite  to  eat  since  break- 


40  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

fast  time,  and  I  know  there 's  not  a  silver  piece 
in  her  pocket  to  buy  a  bun  in  a  milk-shop. ' ' 

"  She  has  no  business  to  be  absent  without 
leave,"  said  Sabina. 

' '  How  you  talk !  As  if  she  were  a  sailor  on 
a  battleship — I  mean  a  cruiser." 

"  Where  can  the  girl  have  gone?  "  wailed 
the  mother,  almost  wringing  her  hands,  par- 
tially overcome  by  the  crisis.  "  Did  she  say 
anything  about  going  out  to  you,  Katherine? 
She  sometimes  makes  a  confidant  of  you, 
doesn't  she?  " 

"  Confidant!  '  exclaimed  Sabina  wrath- 
fully. 

"  I  know  where  she  has  gone,"  said  Kath- 
erine  with  an  innocent  sigh. 

"  Then  why  didn't  you  tell  us  before?  ' 
exclaimed  mother   and   daughter   in   almost 
identical  terms. 

"  She  has  eloped  with  the  captain  of  the 
'  Consternation,'  "  explained  Katherine  calm- 
ly, little  guessing  that  her  words  contained  a 
color  of  truth.  "  Papa  sat  next  him  at  the 
dinner  last  night,  and  says  he  is  a  jolly  old  salt 
and  a  bachelor.  Papa  was  tremendously  taken 
with  him,  and  they  discussed  tactics  together. 
Indeed,  papa  has  quite  a  distinct  English  ac- 
cent this  morning,  and  I  suspect  a  little  bit  of 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  41 

a  headache  which  he  tries  to  conceal  with  a 
wavering  smile. ' ' 

"  You  can't  conceal  a  headache,  because  it's 
invisible, ' '  said  the  mother  seriously.  i  l  I  wish 
you  wouldn't  talk  so  carelessly,  Katherine,  and 
you  mustn't  speak  like  that  of  your  father." 

"  Oh,  papa  and  I  understand  one  another," 
affirmed  Katherine  with  great  confidence,  and 
now  for  the  first  time  during  this  conversation 
the  young  girl  turned  her  face  away  from  the 
window,  for  the  door  had  opened  to  let  in  the 
culprit. 

"  Now,  Amhurst,  what  is  the  meaning  of 
this?  "  cried  Sabina  before  her  foot  was  fairly 
across  the  threshold. 

All  three  women  looked  at  the  newcomer. 
Her  beautiful  face  was  aglow,  probably 
through  the  exertion  of  coming  up  the  stairs, 
and  her  eyes  shone  like  those  of  the  Goddess 
of  Freedom  as  she  returned  .steadfastly  the 
supercilious  stare  with  which  the  tall  Sabina 
regarded  her. 

"  I  was  detained,"  she  said  quietly. 

"  Why  did  you  go  away  without  permis- 
sion? " 

"  Because  I  had  business  to  do  which  could 
not  be  transacted  in  this  room." 


42  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  That  doesn't  answer  my  question.  Why 
did  you  not  ask  permission  ?  ' 

The  girl  slowly  raised  her  two  hands,  and 
showed  her  shapely  wrists  close  together,  and 
a  bit  of  the  forearm  not  covered  by  the  sleeve 
of  her  black  dress. 

"  Because,"  she  said  slowly,  "  the  shackles 
have  fallen  from  these  wrists. ' ' 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  what  you  mean," 
said  Sabina,  apparently  impressed  in  spite  of 
herself,  but  the  younger  daughter  clapped 
her  hands  rapturously. 

"  Splendid,  splendid,  Dorothy,"  she  cried. 
"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean  either,  but  you 
look  like  Maxine  Elliott  in  that  play  where 
she " 

"  Will  you  keep  quiet!  "  interrupted  the 
elder  sister  over  her  shoulder. 

"  I  mean  that  I  intend  to  sew  here  no 
longer, ' '  proclaimed  Dorothy. 

"  Oh,  Miss  Amhurst,  Miss  Amhurst,"  be- 
moaned the  matron.  "JYou  will  heartlessly 
leave  us  in  this  crisis  when  we  are  helpless; 
when  there  is  not  a  sewing  woman  to  be  had 
in  the  place  for  love  or  money.  Every  one  is 
working  night  and  day  to  be  ready  for  the 
ball  on  the  fourteenth,  and  you — you  whom 
we  have  nurtured " 


A   ROCK   IN   THE   BALTIC  43 

"  I  suppose  she  gets  more  money,"  sneered 
the  elder  daughter  bitterly. 

11  Oh,  Dorothy,"  said  Katherine,  coming  a 
step  forward  and  clasping  her  hands,  "  do 
you  mean  to  say  I  must  attend  the  ball  in  a 
calico  dress  after  all?  But  I'm  going,  never- 
theless, if  I  dance  in  a  morning  wrapper." 

"  Katherine,"  chided  her  mother,  "  don't 
talk  like  that." 

"  Of  course,  where  more  money  is  in  the 
question,  kindness  does  not  count,"  snapped 
the  elder  daughter. 

Dorothy  Amhurst  smiled  when  Sabina  men- 
tioned the  word  kindness. 

"  With  me,  of  course,  it's  entirely  a  ques- 
tion of  money,"  she  admitted. 

"  Dorothy,  I  never  thought  it  of  you,"  said 
Katherine,  with  an  exaggerated  sigh.  "  I 
wish  it  were  a  fancy  dress  ball,  then  I'd  bor- 
row my  brother  Jack's  uniform,  and  go  in 
that." 

"  Katherine,  I'm  shocked  at  you,"  com- 
plained the  mother. 

"  I  don't  care:  I'd  make  a  stunning  little 
naval  cadet.  But,  Dorothy,  you  must  be 
starved  to  death;  you've  never  touched  your 
lunch." 

"  You  seem  to  have  forgotten  everything 


44  A  EOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

to-day,"  said  Sabina  severely.  "  Duty  and 
everything  else." 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  murmured  Dorothy. 

"  And  did  you  elope  with  the  captain  of  the 
'*  Consternation,'  and  were  you  married  se- 
cretly, and  was  it  before  a  justice  of  the 
peace?  Do  tell  us  all  about  it." 

"  What  are  you  saying?  "  asked  Dorothy, 
with  a  momentary  alarm  coming  into  her  eyes. 

"  Oh,  I  was  just  telling  mother  and  Sab. 
that  you  had  skipped  by  the  light  of  the  noon, 
with  the  captain  of  the  l  Consternation,'  who 
was  a  jolly  old  bachelor  last  night,  but  may 
be  a  married  man  to-day  if  my  suspicions  are 
correct.  Oh,  Dorothy,  must  I  go  to  the  ball 
in  a  dress  of  print?  ' 

The  sewing  girl  bent  an  affectionate  look  on 
the  impulsive  Katherine. 

"  Kate,  dear,"  she  said,  "  you  shall  wear 
the  grandest  ball  dress  that  ever  was  seen  in 
Bar  Harbor." 

"  How  dare  you  call  my  sister  Kate,  and 
talk  such  nonsense?  "  demanded  Sabina. 

"  I  shall  always  call  you  Miss  Kempt,  and 
now,  if  I  have  your  permission,  I  will  sit 
down.  I  am  tired. ' ' 

"  Yes,  and  hungry,  too,"  cried  Katherine. 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  45 

"  What  shall  I  get  you,  Dorothy?  This  is  aU 
cold." 

"  Thank  you,  I  am  not  in  the  least  hungry. " 

"  Wouldn't  you  like  a  cup  of  tea?  ' 

Dorothy  laughed  a  little  wearily. 

"  Yes,  I  would,"  she  said,  "  and  some  bread 
and  butter. ' ' 

"  And  cake,  too,"  suggested  Katherine. 

"  And  cake,  too,  if  you  please." 

Katherine  skipped  off  downstairs. 

"  Well,  I  declare!  "  ejaculated  Sabina  with 
a  gasp,  drawing  herself  together,  as  if  the 
bottom  had  fallen  out  of  the  social  fabric. 

Mrs.  Captain  Kempt  folded  her  hands  one 
over  the  other  and  put  on  a  look  of  patient 
resignation,  as  one  who  finds  all  the  old  land- 
marks swept  away  from  before  her. 

"  Is  there  anything  else  we  can  get  for 
you  ?  ' '  asked  Sabina  icily. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Dorothy,  with  serene  con- 
fidence, "  I  should  be  very  much  obliged  if 
Captain  Kempt  would  obtain  for  me  a  card 
of  invitation  to  the  ball  on  the  l  Consterna- 
tion.' " 

"  Really!  "  gasped  Sabina,  "  and  may  not 
my  mother  supplement  my  father's  efforts  by 
providing  you  with  a  ball  dress  for  the  occa- 
sion? " 


46  A  BOCK  IK   THE  BALTIC 

"  I  could  not  think  of  troubling  her,  Miss 
Kempt.  Some  of  my  customers  have  flattered 
me  by  saying  that  my  taste  in  dress  is  artistic, 
and  that  my  designs,  if  better  known,  might 
almost  set  a  fashion  in  a  small  way,  so  I  shall 
look  after  my  costume  myself;  but  if  Mrs. 
Captain  Kempt  were  kind  enough  to  allow 
me  to  attend  the  ball  under  her  care,  I  should 
be  very  grateful  for  it." 

"  How  admirable!  And  is  there  nothing 
that  I  can  do  to  forward  your  ambitions,  Miss 
Amhurst?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  the  ball  merely  as  a  looker- 
on,  and  perhaps  you  might  smile  at  me  as  you 
pass  by  with  your  different  partners,  so  that 
people  would  say  I  was  an  acquaintance  of 
yours." 

After  this  there  was  silence  in  the  sewing 
room  until  Katherine,  followed  by  a  maid, 
entered  with  tea  and  cakes.  Some  dress  ma- 
terials that  rested  on  a  gypsy  table  were 
swept  aside  by  the  impulsive  Katherine,  and 
the  table,  with  the  tray  upon  it,  was  placed 
at  the  right  hand  of  Dorothy  Amhurst.  When 
the  servant  left  the  room,  Katherine  sidled 
to  the  long  sewing  table,  sprang  up  lightly 
upon  it,  and  sat  there  swinging  a  dainty  little 
foot.  Sabina  had  seated  herself  in  the  third 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  47 

chair  of  the  room,  the  frown  still  adding 
severity  to  an  otherwise  beautiful  counte- 
nance. It  was  the  younger  daughter  who 
spoke. 

"  Now,  Dorothy,  tell  us  all  about  the  elope- 
ment." 

"  What  elopement?  " 

"  I  soothed  my  mother's  fears  by  telling 
her  that  you  had  eloped  with  the  captain  of 
the  '  Consternation. '  I  must  have  been  wrong 
in  that  guess,  because  if  the  secret  marriage 
I  hoped  had  taken  place,  you  would  have  said 
to  Sabina  that  the  shackles  were  on  your 
wrists  instead  of  off.  But  something  im- 
portant has  happened,  and  I  want  to  know 
all  about  it." 

Dorothy  made  no  response  to  this  appeal, 
and  after  a  minute's  silence  Sabina  said  prac- 
tically : 

"  All  that  has  happened  is  that  Miss  Arn- 
hurst  wishes  father  to  present  her  with  a 
ticket  to  the  ball  on  the  '  Consternation,'  and 
taking  that  for  granted,  she  requests  mother 
to  chaperon  her,  and  further  expresses  a  de- 
sire that  I  shall  be  exceedingly  polite  to  her 
while  we  are  on  board  the  cruiser. ' ' 

"  Oh,"  cried  Katherine  jauntily,  "  the  last 
proviso  is  past  praying  for,  but  the  other  two 


48  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

are  quite  feasible.  I'd  be  delighted  to  chape- 
ron Dorothy  myself,  and  as  for  politeness, 
good  gracious,  I'll  be  polite  enough  to  make 
up  for  all  the  courteous  deficiency  of  the  rest 
of  the  family. 

'  For  I  hold  that  on  the  seas, 
The  expression  if  you  please 
A  particularly  gentlemanly  tone  implants, 
And  so  do  his  sisters  and  his  cousins  and  his  aunts/ 

Now,  Dorothy,  don't  be  bashful.  Here's  your 
sister  and  your  cousin  and  your  aunt  waiting 
for  the  horrifying  revelation.  What  has  hap- 
pened? " 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  is  going  to  happen, 
Kate,"  said  the  girl,  smiling  at  the  way  the 
other  ran  on.  "  Mrs.  Captain  Kempt  will 
perhaps  consent  to  take  you  and  me  to  New 
York  or  Boston,  where  we  will  put  up  at  the 
best  hotel,  and  trick  ourselves  out  in  ball  cos- 
tumes that  will  be  the  envy  of  Bar  Harbor. 
I  shall  pay  the  expense  of  this  trip  as  partial 
return  for  your  father's  kindness  in  getting 
me  an  invitation  and  your  mother's  kindness 
in  allowing  me  to  be  one  of  your  party." 

"  Oh,  then  it  isn't  an  elopement,  but  a 
legacy.  Has  the  wicked  but  wealthy  relative 
died?" 


A  KOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  49 

"  Yes,"  said  Dorothy  solemnly,  her  eyes  on 
the  floor. 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  sorry  for  what  I  have  just 
said!" 

"  You  always  speak  without  thinking/' 
chided  her  mother. 

"  Yes,  don't  I?  But,  you  see,  I  thought 
somehow  that  Dorothy  had  no  relatives;  but 
if  she  had  one  who  was  wealthy,  and  who 
allowed  her  to  slave  at  sewing,  then  I  say  he 
was  wicked,  dead  or  alive,  so  there !  ' 

"  When  work  is  paid  for  it  is  not  slavery," 
commented  Sabina  with  severity  and  justice. 

The  sewing  girl  looked  up  at  her. 

"  My  grandfather,  in  Virginia,  owned  slaves 
before  the  war,  and  I  have  often  thought  that 
any  curse  which  may  have  been  attached  to 
slavery  has  at  least  partly  been  expiated  by 
me,  as  foreshadowed  in  the  Bible,  where  it 
says  that  the  sins  of  the  fathers  shall  affect 
the  third  or  fourth  generations.  I  was  think- 
ing of  that  when  I  spoke  of  the  shackles  fall- 
ing from  my  wrists,  for  sometimes,  Miss 
Kempt,  you  have  made  me  doubt  whether 
wages  and  slavery  are  as  incompatible  as  you 
appear  to  imagine.  My  father,  who  was  a 
clergyman,  often  spoke  to  me  of  his  father's 
slaves,  and  while  he  never  defended  the  in- 


50  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

stitution,  I  think  the  past  in  his  mind  was 
softened  by  a  glamor  that  possibly  obscured 
the  defects  of  life  on  the  plantation.  But 
often  in  depression  and  loneliness  I  have 
thought  I  would  rather  have  been  one  of  my 
grandfather's  slaves  than  endure  the  life  I 
have  been  called  upon  to  lead." 

"  Oh,  Dorothy,  don't  talk  like  that,  or  you'll 
make  me  cry,"  pleaded  Kate.  "  Let  us  be 
cheerful  whatever  happens.  Tell  us  about 
the  money.  Begin  '  Once  upon  a  time,'  and 
then  everything  will  be  all  right.  No  matter 
how  harrowing  such  a  story  begins,  it  always 
ends  with  lashin's  and  lashin's  of  money,  or 
else  with  a  prince  in  a  gorgeous  uniform  and 
gold  lace,  and  you  get  the  half  of  his  kingdom. 
Do  go  on." 

Dorothy  looked  up  at  her  impatient  friend, 
and  a  radiant  cheerfulness  chased  away  the 
gathering  shadows  from  her  face. 

"  Well,  once  upon  a  time  I  lived  very  hap- 
pily with  my  father  in  a  little  rectory  in  a 
little  town  near  the  Hudson  Eiver.  His 
family  had  been  ruined  by  the  war,  and  when 
the  plantation  was  sold,  or  allowed  to  go  dere- 
lict, whatever  money  came  from  it  went  to  his 
elder  and  only  brother.  My  father  was  a 
dreamy  scholar  and  not  a  business  man  as  his 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  51 

brother  seems  to  have  been.  My  mother  had 
died  when  I  was  a  child;  I  do  not  remember 
her.  My  father  was  the  kindest  and  most  pa- 
tient of  men,  and  all  I  know  he  taught  me. 
We  were  very  poor,  and  I  undertook  the  du- 
ties of  housekeeper,  which  I  performed  as 
well  as  I  was  able,  constantly  learning  by  my 
failures.  But  my  father  was  so  indifferent 
to  material  comforts  that  there  were  never 
any  reproaches.  He  taught  me  all  that  I 
know  in  the  way  of  what  you  might  call  ac- 
complishments, and  they  were  of  a  strangely 
varied  order — a  smattering  of  Latin  and 
Greek,  a  good  deal  of  French,  history,  litera- 
ture, and  even  dancing,  as  well  as  music,  for 
he  was  an  excellent  musician.  Our  meager 
income  ceased  with  my  father's  life,  and  I  had 
to  choose  what  I  should  do  to  earn  my  board 
and  keep,  like  Orphant  Annie,  in  Whitcomb 
Riley's  poem.  There  appeared  to  be  three 
avenues  open  to  me.  I  could  be  a  governess, 
domestic  servant,  or  dressmaker.  I  had  al- 
ready earned  something  at  the  latter  occupa- 
tion, and  I  thought  if  I  could  set  up  in  busi- 
ness for  myself,  there  was  a  greater  chance 
of  gaining  an  independence  along  that  line 
than  either  as  a  governess  or  servant.  But 
to  do  this  I  needed  at  least  a  little  capital. 


52  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

"  Although  there  had  been  no  communi- 
cation between  the  two  brothers  for  many 
years,  I  had  my  uncle's  address,  and  I  wrote 
acquainting  him  with  the  fact  of  my  father's 
death,  and  asking  for  some  assistance  to  set 
up  in  business  for  myself,  promising  to  repay 
the  amount  advanced  with  interest  as  soon  as 
I  was  able,  for  although  my  father  had  never 
said  anything  against  his  elder  brother,  I 
somehow  had  divined,  rather  than  knew,  that 
he  was  a  hard  man,  and  his  answering  letter 
gave  proof  of  that,  for  it  contained  no  expres- 
sion of  regret  for  his  brother's  death.  My 
uncle  declined  to  make  the  advance  I  asked 
for,  saying  that  many  years  before  he  had 
given  my  father  two  hundred  dollars  which 
had  never  been  repaid.  I  was  thus  compelled, 
for  the  time  at  least,  to  give  up  my  plan  for 
opening  a  dressmaking  establishment,  even 
on  the  smallest  scale,  and  was  obliged  to  take 
a  situation  similar  to  that  which  I  hold  here. 
In  three  years  I  was  able  to  save  the  two 
hundred  dollars,  which  I  sent  to  my  uncle,  and 
promised  to  remit  the  interest  if  he  would 
tell  me  the  age  of  the  debt.  He  replied  giving 
the  information,  and  enclosing  a  receipt  for 
the  principal,  with  a  very  correct  mathe- 
matical statement  of  the  amount  of  interest 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  53 

if  compounded  annually,  as  was  his  legal 
right,  but  expressing  his  readiness  to  accept 
simple  interest,  and  give  me  a  receipt  in  full." 

"  The  brute!  "  ejaculated  Katherine,  which 
remark  brought  upon  her  a  mild  rebuke  from 
her  mother  on  intemperance  of  language. 

"  Well,  go  on,"  said  Katherine,  unabashed. 

"  I  merely  mention  this  detail,"  continued 
Dorothy,  "as  an  object  lesson  in  honesty. 
Never  before  since  the  world  began  was  there 
such  a  case  of  casting  bread  upon  the  waters 
as  was  my  sending  the  two  hundred  dollars. 
My  uncle  appears  to  have  been  a  most  me- 
thodical man.  He  filed  away  my  letter  which 
contained  the  money,  also  a  typewritten  copy 
of  his  reply,  and  when  he  died,  it  was  these 
documents  which  turned  the  attention  of  the 
legal  firm  who  acted  for  him  to  myself,  for 
my  uncle  had  left  no  will.  The  Californian 
firm  communicated  with  lawyers  in  New 
York,  and  they  began  a  series  of  very  cau- 
tious inquiries,  which  at  last  resulted,  after  1 
had  furnished  certain  proofs  asked  for,  in  my 
being  declared  heiress  to  my  uncle's  estate." 

"  And  how  much  did  you  get?  How  much 
did  you  get?  "  demanded  Katherine. 

"  I  asked  the  lawyers  from  New  York  to  de- 
posit ten  thousand  dollars  for  me  in  the  Sixth 


54  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

National  Bank  of  this  town,  and  they  did  so, 
It  was  to  draw  a  little  check  against  that  de- 
posit, and  thus  learn  if  it  was  real,  that  I  went 
out  to-day." 

"  Ten  thousand  dollars,"  murmured  Kath- 
erine,  in  accents  of  deep  disappointment. 
"  Is  that  all?" 

"  Isn't  that  enough?  "  asked  Dorothy,  with 
a  twinkle  in  her  eyes. 

"  No,  you  deserve  ten  times  as  much,  and 
I  'm  not  going  to  New  York  or  Boston  at  your 
expense  to  buy  new  dresses.  Not  likely!  I 
will  attend  the  ball  in  my  calico." 

Dorothy  laughed  quietly,  and  drew  from 
the  little  satchel  she  wore  at  her  side  a  letter, 
which  she  handed  to  Katherine. 

"  It's  private  and  confidential,"  she  warned 
her  friend. 

"  Oh,  I  won't  tell  any  one,"  said  Katherine, 
unfolding  it.  She  read  eagerly  half-way  down 
the  page,  then  sprang  to  her  feet  on  the  top  of 
the  table,  screaming : 

"  Fifteen  million  dollars!  Fifteen  million 
dollars!  "  and,  swinging  her  arms  back  and 
forth  like  an  athlete  about  to  leap,  sprang  to 
the  floor,  nearly  upsetting  the  little  table,  tray 
and  all,  as  she  embraced  Dorothy  Amhurst. 

"  Fifteen  millions!    That's  something  like! 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  55 

Why,  mother,  do  you  realize  that  we  have 
under  our  roof  one  of  the  richest  young 
women  in  the  world?  Don't  you  see  that  the 
rest  of  this  conference  must  take  place  in  our 
drawing-room  under  the  most  solemn  au- 
spices ?  The  idea  of  our  keeping  such  an  heir- 
ess in  the  attic !  ' 

"  I  believe,"  said  Sabina,  slowly  and  coldly, 
"  that  Mr.  Rockefeller's  income  is 

"  Oh,  blow  Mr.  Rockefeller  and  his  in- 
come! "  cried  the  indignant  younger  sister. 

"Katherine!'  pleaded  the  mother  tear- 
fully. 


CHAPTER   III 


"  ON  DECK  ' 


THROUGHOUT  the  long  summer  day  a  gentle 
excitement  had  fluttered  the  hearts  of  those 
ladies,  young,  or  not  so  young,  who  had  re- 
ceived invitations  to  the  ball  on  board 
the  "  Consternation  "  that  night.  The  last 
touches  were  given  to  creations  on  which  had 
been  spent  skill,  taste,  and  money.  Our  three 
young  women,  being  most  tastefully  and  fash- 
ionably attired,  were  in  high  spirits,  which 
state  of  feeling  was  exhibited  according  to  the 
nature  of  each;  Sabina  rather  stately  in  her 
exaltation;  Dorothy  quiet  and  demure;  while 
Katherine,  despite  her  mother's  supplica- 
tions, would  not  be  kept  quiet,  but  swung  her 
graceful  gown  this  way  and  that,  practising 
the  slide  of  a  waltz,  and  quoting  W.  S.  Gil- 
bert, as  was  her  custom.  She  glided  over  the 
floor  in  rhythm  with  her  chant. 

"  When  I  first  put  this  uniform  on 
I  said,  as  I  looked  in  the  glass. 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  57 

'  It's  one  to  a  million 

That  any  civilian 

My  figure  and  form  will  surpass/" 

Meanwhile,  in  a  room  downstairs  that  good- 
natured  veteran  Captain  Kempt  was  telling 
the  latest  stories  to  his  future  son-in-law,  a 
young  officer  of  the  American  Navy,  who 
awaited,  with  dutiful  impatience,  the  advent 
of  the  serene  Sabina.  When  at  last  the  ladies 
came  down  the  party  set  out  through  the 
gathering  darkness  of  this  heavenly  summer 
night  for  the  private  pier  from  which  they 
were  privileged,  because  of  Captain  Kempt 's 
official  standing,  to  voyage  to  the  cruiser  on 
the  little  revenue  cutter  "  Whip-poor-will," 
which  was  later  on  to  convey  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  and  his  entourage  across  the  same 
intervening  waters.  Just  before  they  reached 
the  pier  their  steps  were  arrested  by  the  boom 
of  a  cannon,  followed  instantly  by  the  sudden 
apparition  of  the  "  Consternation  '  picked 
out  in  electric  light;  masts,  funnel  and  hull 
all  outlined  by  incandescent  stars. 

"  How  beautiful!  '  cried  Sabina,  whose 
young  man  stood  beside  her.  "It  is  as  if  a 
gigantic  rocket,  all  of  one  color,  had  burst, 
and  hung  suspended  there  like  the  planets  of 
heaven." 


58  A  ROCK  D*  THE  BALTIC 

"  It  reminds  me,"  whispered  Katharine  to 
Dorothy,  "  of  an  overgrown  pop-corn  ball," 
at  which  remark  the  two  girls  were  frivolous 
enough  to  laugh. 

"  Crash!  '  sounded  a  cannon  from  an 
American  ship,  and  then  the  white  squadron 
became  visible  in  a  blaze  of  lightning.  And 
now  all  the  yachts  and  other  craft  on  the 
waters  flaunted  their  lines  of  fire,  and  the 
whole  Bay  was  illuminated  like  a  lake  in 
Fairyland. 

"  Now,"  said  Captain  Kempt  with  a 
chuckle,  "  watch  the  Britisher.  I  think  she's 
going  to  show  us  some  color, ' '  and  as  he  spoke 
there  appeared,  spreading  from  mast  to  mast, 
a  huge  sheet  of  blue,  with  four  great  stars 
which  pointed  the  corners  of  a  parallelogram, 
and  between  the  stars  shone  a  huge  white  an- 
chor. Cheers  rang  out  from  the  crew  of  the 
"  Consternation,"  and  the  band  on  board 
played  "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner." 

"  That,"  said  Captain  Kempt  in  explana- 
tion, "  is  the  flag  of  the  United  States  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy,  who  will  be  with  us  to-night. 
The  visitors  have  kept  very  quiet  about  this 
bit  of  illumination,  but  our  lads  got  on  to  the 
secret  about  a  week  ago,  and  I'll  be  very 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  59 

much  disappointed  if  they  don't  give  'em  tit 
for  tat." 

When  the  band  on  the  "  Consternation  ' 
ceased  playing,  all  lights  went  out  on  the 
American  squadron,  and  then  on  the  flagship 
appeared  from  mast  to  mast  a  device  with  the 
Union  Jack  in  the  corner,  a  great  red  cross 
dividing  the  flag  into  three  white  squares.  As 
this  illumination  flashed  out  the  American 
band  struck  up  the  British  national  anthem, 
and  the  outline  lights  appeared  again. 

"  That,"  said  the  captain,  "  is  the  British 
man-o  '-war 's  flag. ' ' 

The  "  Whip-poor-will  "  speedily  whisked 
the  party  and  others  across  the  sparkling 
waters  to  the  foot  of  the  grand  stairway 
which  had  been  specially  constructed  to  con- 
duct the  elect  from  the  tide  to  the  deck.  It 
was  more  than  double  as  broad  as  the  ordinary 
gangway,  was  carpeted  from  top  to  bottom, 
and  on  every  step  stood  a  blue- jacket,  each  as 
steady  as  if  cast  in  bronze,  the  line  forming, 
as  one  might  say,  a  living  handrail  rising  to- 
ward the  dark  sky. 

Captain  Kempt  and  his  wife  went  first,  fol- 
lowed by  Sabina  and  her  young  man  with  the 
two  girls  in  their  wake. 

"  Aren't  those  men  splendid?  "  whispered 


60  A  ROCK  INT  THE  BALTIC 

Katherine  to  her  friend.  "  I  wish  each  held 
an  old-fashioned  torch.  I  do  love  a  sailor." 

"  So  do  I,"  said  Dorothy,  then  checked 
herself,  and  laughed  a  little. 

"  I  guess  we  all  do,"  sighed  Katherine. 

On  deck  the  bluff  captain  of  the  "  Conster- 
nation," in  resplendent  uniform,  stood  beside 
Lady  Angela  Burford  of  the  British  Em- 
bassy at  Washington,  to  receive  the  guests  of 
the  cruiser.  Behind  these  two  were  grouped 
an  assemblage  of  officers  and  very  fashionably 
dressed  women,  chatting  vivaciously  with  each 
other.  As  Dorothy  looked  at  the  princess-like 
Lady  Angela  it  seemed  as  if  she  knew  her ;  as 
if  here  were  one  who  had  stepped  out  of  an 
English  romance.  Her  tall,  proudly  held  fig- 
ure made  the  stoutish  captain  seem  shorter 
than  he  actually  was.  The  natural  haughti- 
ness of  those  classic  features  was  somewhat 
modified  by  a  pro  tern  smile.  Captain  Kempt 
looked  back  over  his  shoulder  and  said  in  a 
low  voice : 

"  Now,  young  ladies,  best  foot  forward. 
The  Du  Maurier  woman  is  to  receive  the  Gib- 
son girls." 

"  I  know  I  shall  laugh,  and  I  fear  I  shall 
giggle,"  said  Katherine,  but  she  encountered 
a  glance  from  her  elder  sister  quite  as  haughty 


A  ROCK:  IN   THE  BALTIC  61 

as  any  Lady  Angela  might  have  bestowed,  and 
all  thought  of  merriment  fled  for  the  moment ; 
thus  the  ordeal  passed  conventionally  without 
Katherine  either  laughing  or  giggling. 

Sabina  and  her  young  man  faded  away  into 
the  crowd.  Captain  Kempt  was  nodding  to 
this  one  and  that  of  his  numerous  acquaint- 
ances, and  Katherine  felt  Dorothy  shrink  a 
little  closer  to  her  as  a  tall,  unknown  young 
man  deftly  threaded  his  way  among  the  peo- 
ple, making  directly  for  the  Captain,  whom 
he  seized  by  the  hand  in  a  grasp  of  the  most 
cordial  friendship. 

"  Captain  Kempt,  I  am  delighted  to  meet 
you  again.  My  name  is  Drummond — Lieu- 
tenant Drummond,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
being  introduced  to  you  at  that  dinner  a  week 
or  two  ago." 

"  The  pleasure  was  mine,  sir,  the  pleasure 
was  mine,"  exclaimed  the  Captain  with  a  cor- 
diality equal  to  that  with  which  he  had  been 
greeted.  He  had  not  at  first  the  least  recol- 
lection of  the  young  man,  but  the  Captain  was 
something  of  an  amateur  politician,  and  pos- 
sessed all  a  politician's  expertness  in  facing 
the  unknown,  and  making  the  most  of  any; 
situation  in  which  he  found  himself. 


62  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  Oh,   yes,   Lieutenant,   I   remember  very 
well  that  excellent  song  you ' 


tt 


Isn't  it  a  perfect  night?"  gasped  the 
Lieutenant.  1 1  I  think  we  are  to  be  congratu- 
lated on  our  weather." 

He  still  clung  to  the  Captain's  hand,  and 
shook  it  again  so  warmly  that  the  Captain 
said  to  himself : 

"  I  must  have  made  an  impression  on  this 
young  fellow,"  then  aloud  he  replied  jauntily: 

"  Oh,  we  always  have  good  weather  this 
time  of  year.  You  see,  the  United  States 
Government  runs  the  weather.  Didn't  you 
know  that  ?  Yes,  our  Weather  Bureau  is  con- 
sidered the  best  in  the  world." 

The  Lieutenant  laughed  heartily,  although 
a  hollow  note  intervened,  for  the  young  man 
had  got  to  the  end  of  his  conversation,  realized 
he  could  not  shake  hands  for  a  third  time,  yet 
did  not  know  what  more  to  say.  The  suavity 
of  the  politician  came  to  his  rescue  in  just  the 
form  the  Lieutenant  had  hoped. 

"  Lieutenant  Drununond,  allow  me  to  in- 
troduce my  wife  to  you." 

The  lady  bowed. 

"  And  my  daughter,  Katherine,  and  Miss 
Amhurst,  a  friend  of  ours — Lieutenant  Drum- 
mond,  of  the  *  Consternation.'  " 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  63 

"  I  wonder,"  said  the  Lieutenant,  as  if  the 
thought  had  just  occurred  to  him,  "  if  the 
young  ladies  would  like  to  go  to  a  point  where 
they  can  have  a  comprehensive  vieAV  of  the 
decorations.  I — I  may  not  be  the  best  guide, 
but  I  am  rather  well  acquainted  with  the  ship, 
you  know." 

"  Don't  ask  me,"  said  Captain  Kempt. 
"  Ask  the  girls.  Everything  I've  had  in  life 
has  come  to  me  because  I  asked,  and  if  I 
didn't  get  it  the  first  time,  I  asked  again." 

"  Of  course  we  want  to  see  the  decora- 
tions," cried  Katherine  with  enthusiasm,  and 
so  bowing  to  the  Captain  and  Mrs.  Kempt, 
the  Lieutenant  led  the  young  women  down  the 
deck,  until  he  came  to  an  elevated  spot  out  of 
the  way  of  all  possible  promenaders,  on  which 
had  been  placed  in  a  somewhat  secluded  posi- 
tion, yet  commanding  a  splendid  view  of  the 
throng,  a  settee  with  just  room  for  two,  that 
had  been  taken  from  some  one's  cabin.  A 
blue- jacket  stood  guard  over  it,  but  at  a  nod 
from  the  Lieutenant  he  disappeared. 

"  Hello!'  cried  Katherine,  "reserved 
seats,  eh1?  How  different  from  a  theatre 
chair,  where  you  are  entitled  to  your  place 
by  holding  a  colored  bit  of  cardboard.  Here 
a  man  with  a  cutlass  stands  guard.  It  gives 


64  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

one  a  notion  of  the  horrors  of  war,  doesn't  it, 
Dorothy?  " 

The  Lieutenant  laughed  quite  as  heartily 
as  if  he  had  not  himself  hoped  to  occupy  the 
position  now  held  by  the  sprightly  Katherine. 
He  was  cudgelling  his  brain  to  solve  the  prob- 
lem represented  by  the  adage  "  Two  is  com- 
pany, three  is  none."  The  girls  sat  together 
on  the  settee  and  gazed  out  over  the  brilliantly 
lighted,  animated  throng.  People  were  still 
pouring  up  the  gangways,  and  the  decks  were 
rapidly  becoming  crowded  with  a  many-col- 
ored, ever-shifting  galaxy  of  humanity.  The 
hum  of  conversation  almost  drowned  the 
popular  selections  being  played  by  the  cruis- 
er's excellent  band.  Suddenly  one  popular 
selection  was  cut  in  two.  The  sound  of  the 
instruments  ceased  for  a  moment,  then  they 
struck  up  "  The  Stars  and  Stripes  for  Ever." 

"  Hello,"  cried  Katherine,  "  can  your  band 
play  Sousa?  " 

"  I  should  say  we  could,"  boasted  the  Lieu- 
tenant, "  and  we  can  play  his  music  in  a  way 
to  give  some  hints  to  Mr.  Sousa 's  own  mu- 


sicians.' 


"  To  beat  the  band,  eh?— Sousa 's  band?  ' 
rejoined  Katherine,  dropping  into  slang. 
"  Exactly,"  smiled  the  Lieutenant,  "  and 


A  KOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  65 

now,  young  ladies,  will  you  excuse  me  for  a 
few  moments'?  This  musical  selection  means 
that  your  Secretary  of  the  Navy  is  on  the 
waters,  and  I  must  be  in  my  place  with  the 
rest  of  the  officers  to  receive  him  and  his  staff 
with  all  ceremony.  Please  promise  you  will 
not  leave  this  spot  till  I  return:  I  implore 
you." 

"  Better  put  the  blue- jacket  on  guard  over 
us,"  laughed  Katherine. 

"  By  Jove!  a  very  good  idea." 

Dorothy  saw  all  levity  depart  from  his  face, 
giving  way  to  a  look  of  sternness  and  com- 
mand. Although  he  was  engaged  in  a  joke, 
the  subordinate  must  see  no  sign  of  fooling  in 
his  countenance.  He  said  a  sharp  word  to  a 
blue- jacket,  who  nimbly  sprang  to  the  end  of 
the  settee,  raised  his  hand  in  salute,  and  stiff- 
ened himself  to  an  automaton.  Then  the  girls 
saw  the  tall  figure  of  the  Lieutenant  wending 
its  way  to  the  spot  where  the  commander 
stood. 

"  I  say,  Dorothy,  we're  prisoners.  I  wonder 
what  this  Johnny  would  do  if  we  attempted  to 
fly.  Isn't  the  Lieutenant  sumptuous?  ' 

"  He  seems  a  very  agreeable  person,"  mur- 
mured Dorothy. 

Agreeable!    Why,  he's  splendid.     I  tell 


.. 


66  A  ROCK  IX   THE  BALTIC 

you,  Dorothy,  I'm  going  to  have  the  first 
dance  with  him.  I'm  the  eldest.  He's  big 
enough  to  divide  between  two  small  girls  like 
us,  you  know." 

"  I  don't  intend  to  dance,"  said  Dorothy. 

"  Nonsense,  you're  not  going  to  sit  here  all 
night  with  nobody  to  speak  to.  I'll  ask  the 
Lieutenant  to  bring  you  a  man.  He'll  take 
two  or  three  blue- jackets  and  capture  any- 
body you  want." 

"  Katherine,"  said  Dorothy,  almost  as  se- 
verely as  if  it  were  the  elder  sister  who  spoke, 
"  if  you  say  anything  like  that,  I'll  go  back  to 
the  house." 

"  You  can't  get  back.  I'll  appeal  to  the 
guard.  I'll  have  you  locked  up  if  you  don't 
behave  yourself." 

"  You  should  behave  yourself.  Really, 
Katherine,  you  must  be  careful  what  you  say, 
or  you'll  make  me  feel  very  unhappy." 

Katherine  caught  her  by  the  elbow,  and 
gave  it  an  affectionate  little  squeeze. 

"  Don't  be  frightened,  Miss  Propriety,  I 
wouldn't  make  you  unhappy  for  the  world. 
But  surely  you're  going  to  dance?  r 

Dorothy  shook  her  head. 

"  Some  other  tune.  Not  to-night.  There 
are  too  many  people  here.  I  shouldn't  enjoy 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  67 

it,  and — there  are  other  reasons.  This  is  all 
so  new  and  strange  to  me :  these  brilliant  men 
and  beautiful  women — the  lights,  the  music, 
everything — it  is  as  if  I  had  stepped  into  an- 
other world;  something  I  had  read  about,  or 
perhaps  dreamed  about,  and  never  expected 
to  see." 

"  Why,  you  dear  girl,  I'm  not  going  to 
dance  either,  then." 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  will,  Katherine;  you  must." 

"  I  couldn't  be  so  selfish  as  to  leave  you 
here  all  alone." 

"  It  isn't  selfish  at  all,  Katherine.  I  shall 
enjoy  myself  completely  here.  I  don't  really 
wish  to  talk  to  any  one,  but  simply  to  enjoy 
my  dream,  with  just  a  little  fear  at  the  bottom 
of  my  heart  that  I  shall  suddenly  wake  up, 
rubbing  my  eyes,  in  the  sewing  room. ' ' 

Katherine  pinched  her. 

"  Now  are  you  awake?  ' 

Dorothy  smiled,  still  dreaming. 

"  Hello!  "  cried  Katherine,  with  renewed 
animation,  "  they've  got  the  Secretary  safe 
aboard  the  lugger,  and  they  seem  to  be  clear- 
ing the  decks  for  action.  Here  is  my  dear 
Lieutenant  returning;  tall  even  among  tall 
men.  Look  at  him.  He's  in  a  great  hurry, 
yet  so  polite,  and  doesn't  want  to  bump 


68  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

against  anybody.  And  now,  Dorothy,  don't 
you  be  afraid.  I  shall  prove  a  perfect  model 
of  diffidence.  You  will  be  proud  of  me  when 
you  learn  with  what  timidity  I  pronounce 
prunes  and  prism.  I  think  I  must  languish 
a  little  at  him.  I  don't  know  quite  how  it's 
done,  but  in  old  English  novels  the  girls  al- 
ways languished,  and  perhaps  an  Englishman 
expects  a  little  languishment  in  his.  I  wonder 
if  he  comes  of  a  noble  family.  If  he  doesn't, 
I  don't  think  I'll  languish  very  much.  Still, 
what  matters  the  pomp  of  pageantry  and 
pride  of  race — isn't  that  the  way  the  poem 
runs?  I  love  our  dear  little  Lieutenant  for 
himself  alone,  and  I  think  I  will  have  just 
one  dance  with  him,  at  least." 

Drummond  had  captured  a  camp-stool 
somewhere,  and  this  he  placed  at  right  angles 
to  the  settee,  so  that  he  might  face  the  two 
girls,  and  yet  not  interrupt  their  view.  The 
sailor  on  guard  once  more  faded  away,  and 
the  band  now  struck  up  the  music  of  the 
dance. 

"  Well,"  cried  Drummond  cheerfully,  "I've 
got  everything  settled.  I  Ve  received  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  Navy:  our  captain  is  to  dance 
with  his  wife,  and  the  Secretary  is  Lady 
Angela's  partner.  There  they  go!  ' 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  69 

For  a  few  minutes  the  young  people  watched 
the  dance,  then  the  Lieutenant  said : 

"  Ladies,  I  am  disappointed  that  you  have 
not  complimented  our  electrical  display." 

"  I  am  sure  it's  very  nice,  indeed,  and  most 
ingenious,"  declared  Dorothy,  speaking  for 
the  first  time  that  evening  to  the  officer,  but 
Katherine,  whose  little  foot  was  tapping  the 
deck  to  the  dance  music,  tossed  her  head,  and 
declared  nonchalantly  that  it  was  all  very 
well  as  a  British  effort  at  illumination,  but 
she  begged  the  young  man  to  remember  that 
America  was  the  home  of  electricity. 

"  Where  would  you  have  been  if  it  were 
not  for  Edison?  " 

"  I  suppose,"  said  the  Lieutenant  cheer- 
fully, "  that  we  should  have  been  where  Moses 
was  when  the  candle  went  out — in  the  dark." 

"  You  might  have  had  torches,"  said  Doro- 
thy. "  My  friend  forgets  she  was  wishing 
the  sailors  held  torches  on  that  suspended 
stairway  up  the  ship's  side." 

"  I  meant  electric  torches — Edison  torches, 
of  course." 

Katherine  was  displeased  at  the  outlook. 
She  was  extremely  fond  of  dancing,  and  here 
this  complacent  young  man  had  planted  him- 


70  A  ROCK   IN   THE   BALTIC 

self  down  on  a  camp  stool  to  talk  of  elec- 
tricity. 

"  Miss  Kempt,  I  am  sorry  that  you  are  dis- 
appointed at  our  display.  Your  slight  upon 
British  electrical  engineering  leaves  us  un- 
scathed, because  this  has  been  done  by  a  for- 
eign mechanic,  whom  I  wish  to  present  to 
you." 

"  Oh,  indeed,"  said  Katherine,  rather  in  the 
usual  tone  of  her  elder  sister.  "  I  don't  dance 
with  mechanics,  thank  you." 

She  emphasized  the  light  fantastic  word, 
but  the  Lieutenant  did  not  take  the  hint;  he 
merely  laughed  again  in  an  exasperatingly 
good-natured  way,  and  said : 

"  Lady  Angela  is  going  to  be  Jack  Lament's 
partner  for  the  next  waltz." 

"  Oh,"  said  Katherine  loftily,  "  Lady  An- 
gela may  dance  with  any  blacksmith  that 
pleases  her,  but  I  don't.  I'm  taking  it  for 
granted  that  Jack  Lamont  is  your  electrical 
tinsmith." 

"  Yes,  he  is,  and  I  think  him  by  all  odds 
the  finest  fellow  aboard  this  ship.  It's  quite 
likely  you  have  read  about  his  sister.  She  is 
a  year  older  than  Jack,  very  beautiful,  cult- 
ured, everything  that  a  grande  dame  should 
be,  yet  she  has  given  away  her  huge  estate  to 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  71 

the  peasantry,  and  works  with  them  in  the 
fields,  living  as  they  do,  and  faring  as  they  do. 
There  was  an  article  about  her  in  one  of  the 
French  reviews  not  long  ago.  She  is  called 
the  Princess  Natalia." 

"  The  Princess  Natalia!  '  echoed  Kath- 
erine,  turning  her  face  toward  the  young  man. 
"  How  can  Princess  Natalia  be  a  sister  of 
Jack  Lamont?  Did  she  marry  some  old 
prince,  and  take  to  the  fields  in  disgust?  ' 

"  Oh,  no;  Jack  Lamont  is  a  Russian.  He 
is  called  Prince  Ivan  Lermontoff:  when  he's 
at  home,  but  we  call  him  Jack  Lamont  for 
short.  He's  going  to  help  me  on  the  Russian 
business  I  told  you  of." 

"  What  Russian  business?  "  asked  Kath- 
erine.  "  I  don't  remember  your  speaking 
of  it." 

Dorothy  went  white,  edged  a  little  way 
from  her  friend,  while  her  widening  eyes 
flashed  a  warning  at  the  Lieutenant,  who,  too 
late,  remembered  that  this  conversation  on 
Russia  had  taken  place  during  the  walk  from 
the  bank.  The  young  man  coughed  slightly 
behind  his  open  hand,  reddened,  and  stam- 
mered : 

"  Oh,  I  thought  I  had  told  you.    Didn't  I 


72  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

mention  the  prince  to  you  as  we  were  coming 
here?  " 

"  Not  that  I  recollect,"  said  Katherine. 
"  Is  he  a  real,  genuine  prince?  A  right 
down  regular,  regular,  regular  royal  prince  ?  ' 

"  I  don't  know  about  the  royalty,  but  he's 
a  prince  in  good  standing  in  his  own  land, 
and  he  is  also  an  excellent  blacksmith."  The 
Lieutenant  chuckled  a  little.  "  He  and  his 
sister  have  both  been  touched  a  good  deal  by 
Tolstoian  doctrine.  Jack  is  the  most  won- 
derful inventor,  I  think,  that  is  at  present  on 
the  earth,  Edison  notwithstanding.  Why,  he 
is  just  now  engaged  on  a  scheme  by  which  he 
can  float  houses  from  the  mountains  here 
down  to  New  York.  Float  them — pipe-line 
them  would  perhaps  be  a  better  term.  You 
know  they  have  pipe-lines  to  carry  petroleum. 
Very  well ;  Jack  has  a  solution  that  dissolves 
stone  as  white  sugar  dissolves  in  tea,  and  he 
believes  he  can  run  the  fluid  from  the  quar- 
ries to  where  building  is  going  on.  It  seems 
that  he  then  puts  this  liquid  into  molds,  and 
there  you  have  the  stone  again.  I  don't 
understand  the  process  myself,  but  Jack  tells 
me  it's  marvelously  cheap,  and  marvelously 
effective.  He  picked  up  the  idea  from  nature 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  73 

one  time  when  he  and  I  were  on  our  vacation 
at  Detroit." 

"  Detroit,  Michigan?  " 

"  The  Detroit  River." 

"  Well,  that  runs  between  Michigan  and 
Canada." 

"  No,  no,  this  is  in  France.  I  believe  the 
real  name  of  the  river  is  the  Tarn.  There's 
a  gorge  called  Detroit — the  strait,  you  know. 
Wonderful  place — tremendous  chasm.  You 
go  down  in  a  boat,  and  all  the  tributary  rivers 
pour  into  the  main  stream  like  jets  from  the 
nozzle  of  a  hose.  They  tell  me  this  is  caused 
by  the  rain  percolating  through  the  dead 
leaves  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  far  above, 
and  thus  the  water  becomes  saturated  with 
carbonic  acid  gas,  and  so  dissolves  the  lime- 
stone until  the  granite  is  reached,  and  the 
granite  forms  the  bed  of  these  underground 
rivers.  It  all  seemed  to  me  very  wonderful, 
but  it  struck  Jack  on  his  scientific  side,  and 
he  has  been  experimenting  ever  since.  He 
says  he'll  be  able  to  build  a  city  with  a  hose 
next  year." 

"  Where  does  he  live?  " 

"  On  the  cruiser  just  at  present.  I  was  in- 
strumental in  getting  him  signed  on  as  John 
Lamont,  and  he  passed  without  question.  No 


74  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

wonder,  for  lie  has  scientific  degrees  from  all 
sorts  of  German  universities,  from  Oxford, 
and  one  or  two  institutions  in  the  States. 
When  at  home  he  lives  in  St.  Petersburg.  • ' 

"  Has  he  a  palace  there?  " 

Drummond  laughed. 

"  He's  got  a  blacksmith  shop,  with  two 
rooms  above,  and  I'm  going  to  stop  with  him 
for  a  few  months  as  soon  as  I  get  my  leave. 
When  the  cruiser  reaches  England  we  pay 
off,  and  I  expect  to  have  nothing  to  do  for 
six  months,  so  Jack  and  I  will  make  for  St. 
Petersburg." 

"  Why  do  you  call  him  Lament?  Is  it 
taken  from  his  real  name  of  what-d'ye-call- 

itrOfff  " 

"  Lermontoff?  Yes.  The  Czar  Demetrius, 
some  time  about  the  beginning  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  established  a  Scottish  Guard, 
just  as  Louis  XI 'did  in  France  two  hundred 
years  before,  and  there  »came  over  from  Scot- 
land Laments,  Carmichaels,  Buchanans  and 
others,  on  whom  were  bestowed  titles  and 
estates.  Prince  Ivan  Lermontoff  is  a  de- 
scendant of  the  original  Lamont,  who  was  an 
officer  in  the  Scottish  Guard  of  Russia. 

"  So  he  is  really  a  Scotchman?  ' 

"  That's  what  I  tell  him  when  he  annoys 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  75 

me,  as  I  am  by  way  of  being  a  Scotchman 
myself.  Ah,  the  waltz  is  ended.  Will  you 
excuse  me  a  moment  while  I  fetch  his  High- 
ness? " 

Dorothy  inclined  her  head,  and  Katherine 
fairly  beamed  permission. 

"  Oh,  Dorothy,"  she  exclaimed,  when  the 
Lieutenant  was  out  of  hearing,  ' '  think  of  it ! 
A  real  prince,  and  my  ambition  has  never 
risen  higher  than  a  paltry  count,  or  some 
plebeian  of  that  sort.  He's  mine,  Dorothy;  I 
found  him  first." 

"  I  thought  you  had  appropriated  the  Lieu- 
tenant? " 

"  What  are  lieutenants  to  me?  The  proud 
daughter  of  a  captain  (retired)  cannot  stoop 
to  a  mere  lieutenant." 

"  You  wouldn't  have  to  stoop  far,  Kate, 
with  so  tall  a  man  as  Mr.  Drummond." 

"  You  are  beginning  to  take  notice,  aren't 
you,  Dot  ?   But  I  bestow  the  Lieutenant  freely 
upon  you,  because  I'm  going  to  dance  with 
the  Prince,  even  if  I  have  to  ask  him  myself. 
She'll  toddle  away,  as  all  aver, 
With  the  Lord  High  Executioner. 

Ah,  here  they  come.  Isn't  he  perfectly  splen- 
did ?  Look  at  his  beard !  Just  the  color  of  a 
brand-new  twenty-dollar  gold  piece.  See  that 


76  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

broad  ribbon  diagonally  across  Mm.  I  won- 
der what  it  means.  And  gaze  at  those  scin- 
tillating orders  on  his  breast.  Good  gracious 
me,  isn't  he  splendid?  ' 

"  Yes,  for  a  blacksmith.  I  wonder  if  he 
beat  those  stars  out  on  his  anvil.  He  isn't 
nearly  so  tall  as  Lieutenant  Dnunmond." 

"  Dorothy,  I'll  not  allow  you  to  disparage 
my  Prince.  How  can  you  be  so  disagreeable l? 
I  thought  from  the  very  first  that  the  Lieu- 
tenant was  too  tall.  If  the  Prince  expects  me 
to  call  him  '  your  Highness/  he'll  be  disap- 
pointed." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  Kate.  The  term 
would  suit  the  Lieutenant  better." 

"  Dorothy,  I  believe  you're  jealous." 

"  Oh,  no,  I'm  not,"  said  Dorothy,  shaking 
her  head  and  laughing,  and  then  "  Hush!  ' 
she  added,  as  Katherine  was  about  to  speak 
again. 

The  next  moment  the  young  men  stood  be- 
fore them,  and,  introductions  being  soberly 
performed,  the  Prince  lost  no  time  in  begging 
Katherine  to  favor  him  with  a  dance,  to  which 
request  the  young  woman  was  graciously 
pleased  to  accede,  without,  however,  exhibit- 
ing too  much  haste  about  her  acceptance,  and 
so  they  walked  off  together. 


CHAPTER   IV 

1  AT  LAST   ALONE  ' 


"  SOME  one  has  taken  the  camp  stool,"  said 
Lieutenant  Drummond.    "  May  I  sit  here?  ' 
and  the  young  woman  was  good  enough  to 
give  the  desired  permission. 

When  he  had  seated  himself  he  glanced 
around,  then  impulsively  held  out  his  hand. 

"  Miss  Amhurst,"  he  said, "  how  are  you?  ' 

"  Very  well,  thank  you,"  replied  the  girl 
with  a  smile,  and  after  half  a  moment's  hesi- 
tation she  placed  her  hand  in  his. 

"  Of  course  you  dance,  Miss  Amhurst?  ' 

"  Yes,  but  not  to-night.  I  am  here  merely 
as  a  looker-on  in  Vienna.  You  must  not 
allow  politeness  to  keep  you  away  from  the 
floor,  or,  perhaps,  I  should  say  the  deck.  I 
don't  mind  being  alone  in  the  least." 

"  Now,  Miss  Amhurst,  that  is  not  a  hint,  is 
it  ?  Tell  me  that  I  have  not  already  tired  you 
of  my  company." 

"  Oh,  no,  but  I  do  not  wish  you  to  feel  that 
simply  because  we  met  casually  the  other  day 


78  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

you  are  compelled  to  waste  your  evening  sit- 
ting out." 

"  Indeed,  Miss  Amhurst,  although  I  should 
very  much  like  to  have  the  pleasure  of  dan- 
cing with  you,  there  is  no  one  else  here  that  I 
should  care  to  ask.  I  have  quailed  under  the 
eagle  eye  of  my  Captain  once  or  twice  this 
evening,  and  I  have  been  rather  endeavoring 
to  keep  out  of  his  sight.  I  fear  he  has  found 
something  new  about  me  of  which  to  disap- 
prove, so  I  have  quite  determined  not  to 
dance,  unless  you  would  consent  to  dance 
with  me,  in  which  case  I  am  quite  ready  to 
brave  his  reproachful  glances." 

"  Have  you  done  anything  wrong  lately?  ' 

"  Heaven  only  knows !  I  try  not  to  be  pur- 
posely wicked,  and  indeed  have  put  forth 
extra  efforts  to  be  extra  good,  but  it  seems  all 
of  no  avail.  I  endeavor  to  go  about  the  ship 
with  a  subdued,  humble,  unobtrusive  air,  but 
this  is  rather  difficult  for  a  person  of  my  size. 
I  don't  think  a  man  can  droop  successfully 
unless  he's  under  six  feet  in  height." 

Dorothy  laughed  with  quiet  content.  She 
was  surprised  to  find  herself  so  much  at  her 
ease  with  him,  and  so  mildly  happy.  They 
shared  a  secret  together,  and  that  of  itself 
was  an  intangible  bond  linking  him  with  her 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  79 

who  had  no  ties  with  any  one  else.  She  liked 
him ;  had  liked  him  from  the  first ;  and  his  un- 
concealed delight  in  her  company  was  grati- 
fying to  a  girl  who  heretofore  had  found  none 
to  offer  her  the  gentle  courtesies  of  life. 

"  Is  it  the  Eussian  business  again?  You 
do  not  look  very  much  troubled  about  it." 

"  Ah,  that  is — that  is — "  he  stammered  in 
apparent  confusion,  then  blurted  out,  "  be- 
cause you — because  I  am  sitting  here.  Al- 
though I  have  met  you  but  once  before,  it 
seems  somehow  as  if  I  had  known  you  al- 
ways, and  my  slight  anxiety  that  I  told  you 
of  fades  away  in  your  presence.  I  hope  you 
don't  think  I  am  forward  in  saying  this,  but 
really  to-night,  when  I  saw  you  at  the  head 
of  the  gangway,  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from 
going  directly  to  you  and  greeting  you.  I  am 
afraid  I  made  rather  a  hash  of  it  with  Cap- 
tain Kempt.  He  is  too  much  of  a  gentleman 
to  have  shown  any  surprise  at  my  somewhat 
boisterous  accosting  of  him,  and  you  know  I 
didn't  remember  him  at  all,  but  I  saw  that 
you  were  under  his  care,  and  chanced  it. 
Luckily  it  seems  to  have  been  Captain  Kempt 
after  all,  but  I  fear  I  surprised  him,  taking 
him  by  storm,  as  it  were." 

"  I  thought  you  did  it  very  nicely,"  said 


80  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

Dorothy,  "  and,  indeed,  until  this  moment  I 
hadn't  the  least  suspicion  that  you  didn't 
recognize  him.  He  is  a  dear  old  gentleman, 
and  I'm  very  fond  of  him." 

"  I  say,"  said  the  Lieutenant,  lowering  his 
voice,  "  I  nearly  came  a  cropper  when  I 
spoke  of  that  Russian  affair  before  your 
friend.  I  was  thinking  of — of — well,  I  wasn't 
thinking  of  Miss  Kempt " 

"  Oh,  she  never  noticed  anything,"  said 
Dorothy  hurriedly.  "  You  got  out  of  that, 
too,  very  well.  I  thought  of  telling  her  I  had 
met  you  before  while  she  and  I  were  in  New 
York  together,  but  the  opportunity  never 
seemed — well,  I  couldn't  quite  explain,  and, 
indeed,  didn't  wish  to  explain  my  own  inex- 
plicable conduct  at  the  bank,  and  so  trusted 
to  chance.  If  you  had  greeted  me  first  to- 
night, I  suppose  " — she  smiled  and  looked  up 
at  him — "  I  suppose  I  should  have  brazened 
it  out  somehow." 

"  Have  you  been  in  New  York?  ' 

"  Yes,  we  were  there  nearly  a  week." 

"  Ah,  that  accounts  for  it." 

"  Accounts  for  what?  ' 

"  I  have  walked  up  and  down  every  street, 
lane  and  alley  in  Bar  Harbor,  hoping  to  catch 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  81 

a  glimpse  of  you.  I  have  haunted  the  town, 
and  all  the  time  you  were  away. ' ' 

"  No  wonder  the  Captain  frowns  at  you! 
Have  you  been  neglecting  your  duty  *?  ' 

"  Well,  I  have  been  stretching  my  shore 
leave  just  a  little  bit.  I  wanted  to  apologize 
for  talking  so  much  about  myself  as  we 
walked  from  the  bank. ' ' 

"  It  was  very  interesting,  and,  if  you  re- 
member, we  walked  farther  than  I  had  in- 
tended." 

"  Were  your  friends  waiting  for  you,  or 
had  they  gone  ?  ' 

"  They  were  waiting  for  me." 

"  I  hope  they  weren't  cross?  ' 

"  Oh,  no.  I  told  them  I  had  been  detained. 
It  happened  not  to  be  necessary  to  enter  into 
details,  so  I  was  saved  the  task  of  explana- 
tion, and,  besides,  we  had  other  interesting 
things  to  discuss.  This  function  on  the 
cruiser  has  loomed  so  large  as  a  topic  of  con- 
versation that  there  has  been  little  need  of 
any  other  subject  to  talk  about  for  several 
days  past." 

"  I  suppose  you  must  have  attended  many 
grander  occasions  than  this.  Although  we 
have  endeavored  to  make  a  display,  and  al- 
though we  possess  a  reasonably  efficient  band, 


82  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

still,  a  cruiser  is  not  exactly  designed  for  the 
use  to  which  it  is  being  put  to-night.  We 
have  many  disadvantages  to  overcome  which 
are  not  met  with  in  the  sumptuous  dwellings 
of  New  York  and  Bar  Harbor." 

The  girl's  eyes  were  on  the  deck  for  some 
moments  before  she  replied,  then  she  looked 
across  at  the  dancers,  and  finally  said : 

"  1  think  the  ball  on  the  '  Consternation  ' 
quite  equals  anything  I  have  ever  attended." 

"  It  is  nice  of  you  to  say  that.  Praise  from 
— I  won't  name  Sir  Hubert  Stanley — but 
rather  Lady  Hubert  Stanley — is  praise,  in- 
deed. And  now,  Miss  Amhurst,  since  I  have 
confessed  my  fruitless  wanderings  through 
Bar  Harbor,  may  I  not  have  the  pleasure  of 
calling  upon  you  to-morrow  or  next  day?  ' 

Her  eyes  were  dreamily  watching  the  dan- 
cers. 

"  I  suppose,"  she  said  slowly,  with  the 
flicker  of  a  smile  curving  those  enticing  lips, 
"  that  since  you  were  so  very  friendly  with 
Captain  Kempt  to-night  he  may  expect  you 
to  smoke  a  cigar  with  him,  and  it  will  pos- 
sibly happen  that  Katherine  and  I,  who  are 
very  fond  of  the  Captain,  may  chance  to  come 
in  while  you  are  there." 

"  Katherine?    Ah,  Katherine  is  the  name 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  83 

of  the  young  lady  who  was  with  you  here — 
Miss  Kempt?" 

"  Yes." 

"  You  are  stopping  with  the  Kempts, 
then?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  I  wonder  if  they'd  think  I  was  taking  a 
liberty  if  I  brought  Jack  Lamont  with  me  ?  ' 

"  The  Prince?  "  laughed  Dorothy.  "  Is  he 
a  real  prince  ?  ' 

"  Oh,  yes,  there's  no  doubt  about  that.  I 
shouldn't  have  taken  the  liberty  of  intro- 
ducing him  to  you  as  Prince  Lermontoff  if 
he  were  not,  as  we  say  in  Scotland,  a  real 
Mackay — the  genuine  article.  Well,  then,  the 
Prince  and  I  will  pay  our  respects  to  Captain 
Kempt  to-morrow  afternoon." 

"  Did  you  say  the  Prince  is  going  with  you 
to  Russia?  " 

"  Oh,  yes.  As  I  told  you,  I  intend  to  live 
very  quietly  in  St.  Petersburg,  and  the  Prince 
has  his  shop  and  a  pair  of  rooms  above  it  in 
a  working  quarter  of  the  city.  I  shall  occupy 
one  of  the  rooms  and  he  the  other.  The 
Prince  is  an  excellent  cook,  so  we  shan't 
starve,  even  if  we  engage  no  servant." 

"Has  the  Prince  given  his  estates  away 
also?" 


84  A  KOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  He  hasn't  given  them  away  exactly,  but 
he  is  a  very  indulgent  landlord,  and  he  spends 
so  much  money  on  his  experiments  and  travel 
that,  although  he  has  a  formidable  income,  he 
is  very  frequently  quite  short  of  money.  Did 
you  like  him?  ' 

"  Yes.  Of  course  I  saw  him  for  a  moment 
only.  I  wonder  why  they  haven't  returned. 
There's  been  several  dances  since  they  left." 

"  Perhaps,"  said  the  Lieutenant,  with  a 
slight  return  of  his  stammering,  "  your 
friend  may  be  as  fond  of  dancing  as  Jack  is." 

"  You  are  still  determined  to  go  to  Rus- 
sia? " 

"  Quite.  There  is  absolutely  no  danger. 
I  may  not  accomplish  anything,  but  I'll  have 
a  try  at  it.  The  Prince  has  a  good  deal  of 
influence  in  St.  Petersburg,  which  he  will  use 
quietly  on  my  behalf,  so  that  I  may  see  the 
important  people.  I  shall  be  glad  when  the 
Captain  ceases  frowning " 

Drummond  was  interrupted  by  a  fellow- 
officer,  who  raised  his  cap,  and  begged  a  word 
with  him. 

"  I  think,  Drummond,  the  Captain  wanted 
to  see  you." 

"  Oh,  did  he  say  that?" 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  85 

"  No,  but  I  know  he  has  left  a  note  for  you 
in  your  cabin.  Shall  I  go  and  fetch  it?  ' 

"  I  wish  you  would,  Chesham,  if  you  don't 
mind,  and  it  isn't  too  much  trouble." 

"  No  trouble  at  all.  Delighted,  I'm  sure," 
said  Chesham,  again  raising  his  cap  and  going 
off. 

"  Now,  I  wonder  what  I  have  forgotten  to 
do." 

Drummond  heaved  a  sigh  proportionate  to 
himself. 

"  Under  the  present  condition  of  things  a 
bit  of  neglect  that  would  go  unnoticed  with 
another  man  is  a  sign  of  unrepentant  villainy 
in  me.  Any  other  Lieutenant  may  steal  a 
horse  while  I  may  not  look  over  a  hedge.  You 
see  how  necessary  it  is  for  me  to  go  to  Eussia, 
and  get  this  thing  smoothed  over." 

"  I  think,  perhaps,  you  are  too  sensitive, 
and  notice  slights  where  nothing  of  the  kind 
is  meant,"  said  the  girl. 

Chesham  returned  and  handed  Drummond 
a  letter. 

"  Will  you  excuse  me  a  moment?  "  he  said, 
and  as  she  looked  at  him  he  flattered  himself 
that  he  noticed  a  trace  of  anxiety  in  her  eyes. 
He  tore  open  the  missive. 

"  By  Jove!  "  he  cried. 


86  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  What  is  it?  "  she  could  not  prevent  her- 
self from  saying,  leaning  forward. 

"  I  am  ordered  home.  The  Admiralty  com- 
mands me  to  take  the  first  steamer  for  Eng- 
land. " 

"  Is  that  serious?  " 

He  laughed  with  well-feigned  hilarity. 

"  Oh,  no,  not  serious;  it's  just  their  way 
of  doing  things.  They  might  easily  have 
allowed  me  to  come  home  in  my  own  ship. 
My  only  fear  is  I  shall  have  to  take  the  train 
for  New  York  early  to-morrow  morning. 
But,"  he  said,  holding  out  his  hands,  "it  is 
not  serious  if  you  allow  me  to  write  to  you, 
and  if  you  will  permit  me  to  hope  that  I  may 


receive  an  answer.'1 


She  placed  her  hand  in  his,  this  time  with- 
out hesitation. 

"  You  may  write,"  she  said,  "  and  I  will 
reply.  I  trust  it  is  not  serious." 


CHAPTER  V 

"  AFTER  THE  OPERA  IS  OVER  r 

IN  mid-afternoon  of  the  day  following  the 
entertainment  on  board  the  "  Consternation  ' 
our  two  girls  were  seated  opposite  one  an- 
other under  the  rafters  of  the  sewing  room, 
in  the  listless,  desultory  manner  of  those  who 
have  not  gone  home  till  morning,  till  daylight 
did  appear.  The  dominant  note  of  a  summer 
cottage  is  the  rocking-chair,  and  there  were 
two  in  the  sewing  room,  where  Katherine  and 
Dorothy  swayed  gently  back  and  forth  as 
they  talked.  They  sat  close  to  the  low,  broad 
window  which  presented  so  beautiful  a  pic- 
ture of  the  blue  Bay  and  the  white  shipping. 
The  huge  "  Consternation  "  lay  moored  with 
her  broadside  toward  the  town,  all  sign  of 
festivity  already  removed  from  hull  and 
rigging,  and,  to  the  scarcely  slumber-satis- 
fied eyes  of  the  girls,  something  of  the  sad- 
ness of  departure  seemed  to  hang  as  a  haze 
around  the  great  ship.  The  girls  were  not 
discussing  the  past,  but  rather  anticipating 


88  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

the  future;  forecasting  it,  with  long,  silent 
pauses  intervening. 

"  So  you  will  not  stay  with  us?  You  are 
determined  to  turn  your  wealthy  back  on  the 
poor  Kempt  family?  "  Katherine  was  say- 
ing. 

"  But  I  shall  return  to  the  Kempt  family 
now  and  then,  if  they  will  let  me.  I  must  get 
away  for  a  time  and  think.  My  life  has  sud- 
denly become  all  topsy-turvy,  and  I  need  to 
get  my  bearings,  as  does  a  ship  that  has  been 
through  a  storm  and  lost  her  reckoning." 

"  *  She  dunno  where  she  are,'  as  the  song 
says." 

"  Exactly:  that  is  the  state  of  things." 

"  I  think  it's  too  bad,  Dorothy,  that  you 
did  not  allow  us  to  make  public  announce- 
ment of  your  good  fortune.  Just  imagine 
what  an  ovation  you  would  have  had  on  board 
the  cruiser  last  night  if  it  had  been  known 
that  the  richest  woman  in  that  assemblage 
was  a  pretty,  shy  little  creature  sitting  all  by 
herself,  and  never  indulging  in  even  one 
dance." 

"  I  shouldn't  in  the  least  care  for  that  sort 
of  ovation,  Kate,  and  if  every  one  present 
were  as  well  pleased  with  the  festivities  as  I, 
they  must  all  have  enjoyed  themselves  im- 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  89 

mensely.  I  believe  my  friend  Kate  did  my 
share  of  the  dancing  as  well  as  her  own." 

"  '  She  danced,  and  she  danced,  and  she 
danced  them  a'  din.'  I  think  those  are  the 
words  of  the  Scottish  song  that  the  Prince 
quoted.  He  seems  up  in  Scottish  poetry,  and 
does  not  even  resent  being  called  a  Scotch- 
man. This  energetic  person  of  the  song  seems 
to  have  danced  them  all  to  a  standstill,  as  I 
understood  him,  for  he  informs  me  '  a  '  means 
1  all '  and  '  din  '  means  l  done/  but  I  told  him 
I'd  rather  learn  Russian  than  Scotch;  it  was 
so  much  easier,  and  his  Highness  was  good 
enough  to  laugh  at  that.  Didn't  the  Lieu- 
tenant ask  you  to  dance  at  all  ?  ' 

"Oh,  yes,  he  did." 

"  And  you  refused?  ' 

"  I  refused." 

"  I  didn't  think  he  had  sense  enough  to  ask 
a  girl  to  dance." 

"  You  are  ungrateful,  Katherine.  Remem- 
ber he  introduced  you  to  the  Prince." 

"  Yes,  that's  so.  I  had  forgotten.  I  shall 
never  say  anything  against  him  again." 

"  You  like  the  Prince,  then?  " 

"  Of  all  the  crowned  heads,  emperors, 
kings,  sultans,  monarchs  of  every  descrip- 
tion, dukes,  counts,  earls,  marquises,  whom  I 


90  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

have  met,  and  who  have  pestered  my  life 
asking  me  to  share  their  royal  perquisites,  I 
think  I  may  say  quite  truthfully  that  I  like 
this  Jack  Lamont  better  than  any  one  of 
them." 

"  Surely  Prince  Jack  has  not  offered  you 
his  principality  already?  " 

"  No,  not  yet,  but  with  an  eye  to  the  future 
I  have  persuaded  him  to  give  up  Tolstoi  and 
read  Mark  Twain,  who  is  not  only  equally 
humorous,  but  much  more  sensible  than  the 
Russian  writer.  Jack  must  not  be  allowed 
to  give  away  his  estates  to  the  peasants  as 
his  silly  sister  has  done.  I  may  need  them 
later  on." 

"  Oh,  you've  got  that  far,  have  you?  " 

"  I  have  got  that  far:  he  hasn't.  He 
doesn't  know  anything  about  it,  but  111  wake 
him  up  when  the  right  time  comes.  There 
are  many  elements  of  sanity  about  him.  He 
told  me  that  he  intended  to  give  up  his  estates, 
but  in  the  first  place  he  had  been  too  busy, 
and  in  the  second  he  needed  the  money.  His 
good  sense,  however,  requires  refining,  so 
that  he  may  get  rid  of  the  dross.  I  don't 
blame  him;  I  blame  Tolstoi.  For  instance, 
when  I  asked  him  if  he  had  patented  his 
liquid  city  invention,  he  said  he  did  not  wish 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  91 

to  make  a  profit  from  his  discovery,  but  in- 
tended it  for  the  good  of  humanity  at  large. 
Imagine  such  an  idiotic  idea  as  that! ' 

"  I  think  such  views  are  entirely  to  his 
credit,"  affirmed  Dorothy. 

"  Oh,  of  course,  but  the  plan  is  not  prac- 
ticable. If  he  allows  such  an  invention  to 
slip  through  his  fingers,  the  Standard  Oil 
people  will  likely  get  hold  of  it,  form  a 
monopoly,  and  then  where  would  humanity 
at  large  be?  I  tell  him  the  right  way  is  to 
patent  it,  make  all  the  money  he  can,  and  use 
the  cash  for  benefiting  humanity  under  the 
direction  of  some  charitable  person  like  my- 
self." 

"  Did  you  suggest  that  to  him?  r 

"  I  did  not  intimate  who  the  sensible  per- 
son was,  but  I  elucidated  the  principle  of  the 
thing." 

"  Yes,  and  what  did  he  say?  " 

"  Many  things,  Dorothy,  many  things.  At 
one  time  he  became  confidential  about  his 
possessions  in  foreign  lands.  It  seems  he 
owns  several  castles,  and  when  he  visits  any 
of  them  he  cannot  prevent  the  moujiks,  if 
that  is  the  proper  term  for  the  peasantry  over 
there,  from  prostrating  themselves  on  the 
ground  as  he  passes  by,  beating  their  fore- 


92  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

heads  against  the  earth,  and  chanting,  in 
choice  Russian,  the  phrase:  '  Defer,  defer, 
here  comes  the  Lord  High  Executioner,'  or 
words  to  that  effect.  I  told  him  I  didn't  see 
why  he  should  interfere  with  so  picturesque 
a  custom,  and  he  said  if  I  visited  one  of  his 
castles  that  these  estimable  people,  at  a  word 
from  him,  would  form  a  corduroy  road  in  the 
mud  with  their  bodies,  so  that  I  might  step 
dry-shod  from  the  carriage  to  the  castle  doors, 
and  I  stipulated  that  he  should  at  least  spread 
a  bit  of  stair  carpet  over  the  poor  wretches 
before  I  made  my  progress  across  his  front 
yard." 

"  Well,  you  did  become  confidential  if  you 
discussed  a  visit  to  Russia." 

"  Yes,  didn't  we?  I  suppose  you  don't  ap- 
prove of  my  forward  conduct?  ' 

"  I  am  sure  you  acted  with  the  utmost  pru- 
dence, Kate." 

"  I  didn't  lose  any  time,  though,  did  I?  ' 

"  I  don't  know  how  much  time  is  required 
to  attain  the  point  of  friendship  you  reached. 
I  am  inexperienced.  It  is  true  I  have  read  of 
love  at  first  sight,  and  I  am  merely  waiting 
to  be  told  whether  or  not  this  is  an  instance 
of  it." 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  93 

"  Oh,  you  are  very  diffident,  aren't  you, 
sitting  there  so  bashfully!  ' 

"  I  may  seem  timid  or  bashful,  but  it's 
merely  sleepiness." 

"  You're  a  bit  of  a  humbug,  Dorothy." 

"  Why?" 

"  I  don't  know  why,  but  you  are.  No,  it 
was  not  a  case  of  love  at  first  sight.  It  was 
a  case  of  feminine  vengeance.  Yes,  you  may 
look  surprised,  but  I'm  telling  the  truth. 
After  I  walked  so  proudly  off  with  his  high 
mightiness,  we  had  a  most  agreeable  dance 
together;  then  I  proposed  to  return  to  you, 
but  the  young  man  would  not  have  it  so,  and 
for  the  moment  I  felt  flattered.  By  and  by 
I  became  aware,  however,  that  it  was  not  be- 
cause of  my  company  he  avoided  your  vicin- 
ity, but  that  he  was  sacrificing  himself  for  his 
friend." 

"  What  friend?" 

"  Lieutenant  Drummond,  of  course." 

"  How  was  he  sacrificing  himself  for  Lieu- 
tenant Drummond?  ' 

"  I  surmise  that  the  tall  Lieutenant  did  not 
fall  a  victim  to  my  wiles  as  I  had  at  first  sup- 
posed, but,  in  some  unaccountable  manner, 
one  can  never  tell  how  these  things  happen; 
he  was  most  anxious  to  be  left  alone  with  the 


94  A  BOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

coy  Miss  Dorothy  Amhurst,  who  does  not 
understand  how  long  a  time  it  takes  to  fall 
in  love  at  first  sight,  although  she  has  read 
of  these  things,  dear,  innocent  girl.  The  first 
villain  of  the  piece  has  said  to  the  second  vil- 
lain of  the  piece:  '  There's  a  superfluous 
young  woman  over  on  our  bench;  I'll  intro- 
duce you  to  her.  You  lure  her  off  to  the 
giddy  dance,  and  keep  her  away  as  long  as 
you  can,  and  I'll  do  as  much  for  you  some 
day.' 

"  Whereupon  Jack  Lamont  probably  swore 
— I  understand  that  profanity  is  sometimes 
distressingly  prevalent  aboard  ship — but 
nevertheless  he  allowed  the  Lieutenant  to 
lead  him  like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter.  Well, 
not  being  powerful  enough  to  throw  him  over- 
board when  I  realized  the  state  of  the  case, 
I  did  the  next  best  thing.  I  became  cloyingly 
sweet  to  him.  I  smiled  upon  him:  I  listened 
to  his  farrago  of  nonsense  about  the  chemical 
components  of  his  various  notable  inventions, 
as  if  a  girl  attends  a  ball  to  study  chemistry ! 
Before  half  an  hour  had  passed  the  infant 
had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  here  was  the 
first  really  sensible  woman  he  had  ever  met. 
He  soon  got  to  making  love  to  me,  as  the  hor- 
rid phrase  goes,  as  if  love  were  a  mixture  to 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  95 

be  compounded  of  this  ingredient  and  that, 
and  then  shaken  before  taken.  I  am  de- 
lighted to  add,  as  a  testimony  to  my  own 
powers  of  pleasing,  that  Jack  soon  forgot  he 
was  a  sacrifice,  and  really,  with  a  little  in- 
struction, he  would  become  a  most  admirable 
flirt.  He  is  coming  to  call  upon  me  this  after- 
noon, and  then  he  will  get  his  eyes  opened.  I 
shall  tread  on  him  as  if  he'were  one  of  his  own 
moujiks." 

"  What  a  wonderful  imagination  you  have, 
Kate.  All  you  have  said  is  pure  fancy.  I  saw 
he  was  taken  with  you  from  the  very  first. 
He  never  even  glanced  at  me." 

"  Of  course  not:  he  wasn't  allowed  to." 

"  Nonsense,  Kate.  If  I  thought  for  a  mo- 
ment you  were  really  in  earnest,  I  should  say 
you  underestimate  your  own  attractions." 

"  Oh,  that's  all  very  well,  Miss  Dorothy 
Dimple ;  you  are  trying  to  draw  a  red  herring 
across  the  trail,  because  you  know  that  what 
I  want  to  hear  is  why  Lieutenant  Drummond 
was  so  anxious  to  get  me  somewhere  else. 
What  use  did  he  make  of  the  opportunity  the 
good-natured  Prince  and  my  sweet  compla- 
cency afforded  him  ?  ' 

"  He  said  nothing  which  might  not  have 
been  overheard  by  any  one." 


96  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  Come  down  to  particulars,  Dorothy,  and 
let  me  judge.  You  are  so  inexperienced,  you 
know,  that  it  is  well  to  take  counsel  with  a 
more  sophisticated  friend." 

"  I  don't  just  remember " 

"  No,  I  thought  you  wouldn't.  Did  he  talk 
of  himself  or  of  you?  ' 

"  Of  himself,  of  course.  He  told  me  why 
he  was  going  to  Russia,  and  spoke  of  some 
checks  he  had  met  in  his  profession." 

"Ah!    Did  he  cash  them  1" 

"  Obstacles — difficulties  that  were  in  his 
way,  which  he  hoped  to  overcome." 

"  Oh,  I  see.  And  did  you  extend  that  sym- 
pathy which ' ' 

There  was  a  knock  at  the  door,  and  the 
maid  came  in,  bearing  a  card. 

"  Good  gracious  me!  '  cried  Katherine, 
jumping  to  her  feet.  ' '  The  Prince  has  come. 
What  a  stupid  thing  that  we  have  no  mirror 
in  this  room,  and  it's  a  sewing  and  sitting 
room,  too.  Do  I  look  all  right,  Dorothy?  ' 

"  To  me  you  seem  perfection." 

"  Ah,  well,  I  can  glance  at  a  glass  on  the 
next  floor.  Won't  you  come  down  and  see 
him  trampled  on?  ' 

"  No,  thank  you.  I  shall  most  likely  drop 
off  to  sleep,  and  enjoy  forty  winks  in  this 


A  BOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  97 

very  comfortable  chair.  Don't  be  too  harsh 
with  the  young  man,  Kate.  You  are  quite 
wrong  in  your  surmises  about  him.  The  Lieu- 
tenant never  made  any  such  arrangement  as 
you  suggest,  because  he  talked  of  nothing  but 
the  most  commonplace  subjects  all  the  time  I 
was  with  him,  as  I  was  just  about  to  tell  you, 
only  you  seem  in  such  a  hurry  to  get  away. ' ' 

"  Oh,  that  doesn't  deceive  me  in  the  least. 
I'll  be  back  shortly,  with  the  young  man's 
scalp  dangling  at  my  belt.  Now  we  shan't  be 
long,"  and  with  that  Katherine  went  skipping 
downstairs. 

Dorothy  picked  up  a  magazine  that  lay  on 
the  table,  and  for  a  few  moments  turned  its 
leaves  from  one  story  to  another,  trying  to 
interest  herself,  but  failing.  Then  she  lifted 
the  newspaper  that  lay  at  her  feet,  but  it  also 
was  soon  cast  aside,  and  she  leaned  back  in 
her  chair  with  half -closed  eyes,  looking  out 
at  the  cruiser  in  the  Bay.  A  slight  haze 
arose  between  her  and  the  ship,  thickening 
and  thickening  until  at  last  it  obscured  the 
vessel. 

Dorothy  was  oppressed  by  a  sense  of  some- 
thing forgotten,  and  she  strove  in  vain  to  re- 
member what  it  was.  It  was  of  the  utmost 


98  A   ROCK   IN   THE   BALTIC 

importance,  she  was  certain,  and  this  knowl- 
edge made  her  mental  anxiety  the  greater. 

At  last  out  of  the  gloom  she  saw  Sabina 
approach,  clothed  in  rags,  and  then  a  flash  of 
intuition  enabled  her  to  grasp  the  difficulty. 
Through  her  remissness  the  ball  dress  was 
unfinished,  and  the  girl,  springing  to  her  feet, 
turned  intuitively  to  the  sewing-machine, 
when  the  ringing  laugh  of  Katherine  dis- 
solved the  fog. 

"  Why,  you  poor  girl,  what's  the  matter 
with  you?  Are  you  sitting  down  to  drudgery 
again?  You've  forgotten  the  fortune!  ' 

"  Are — are  you  back  already?  "  cried  Doro- 
thy, somewhat  wildly. 

"  Already!  Why,  bless  me,  I've  been  away 
an  hour  and  a  quarter.  You  dear  girl,  you've 
been  asleep  and  in  slavery  again !  ' 

"  I  think  I  was,"  admitted  Dorothy  with  a 
sigh. 


CHAPTER   VI 

FROM   SEA   TO   MOUNTAIN 

THREE  days  later  the  North  Atlantic  squad- 
ron of  the  British  Navy  sailed  down  the  coast 
from  Halifax,  did  not  even  pause  at  Bar 
Harbor,  but  sent  a  wireless  telegram  to  the 
"  Consternation,"  which  pulled  up  anchor 
and  joined  the  fleet  outside,  and  so  the  war- 
ships departed  for  another  port. 

Katherine  stood  by  the  broad  window  in  the 
sewing  room  in  her  favorite  attitude,  her  head 
sideways  against  the  pane,  her  eyes  languidly 
gazing  upon  the  Bay,  fingers  drumming  this 
time  a  very  slow  march  on  the  window  sill. 
Dorothy  sat  in  a  rocking-chair,  reading  a  let- 
ter for  the  second  time.  There  had  been 
silence  in  the  room  for  some  minutes,  accen- 
tuated rather  than  broken  by  the  quiet  drum- 
ming of  the  girl's  fingers  on  the  window  sill. 
Finally  Katherine  breathed  a  deep  sigh  and 
murmured  to  herself : 

"  '  Far  called  our  Navy  fades  away, 

On  dune  and  headland  sinks  the  fire. 
Lo,  all  our  pomp  of  yesterday 

Is  one  with  Nineveh  and  Tyre/ 


100  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

I  wonder  if  I've  got  the  lines  right,"  she  whis- 
pered to  herself.  She  had  forgotten  there  was 
anyone  else  in  the  room,  and  was  quite  startled 
when  Dorothy  spoke. 

"  Kate,  that's  a  solemn  change,  from  Gil- 
bert to  Kipling.  I  always  judge  your  mood 
by  your  quotations.  Has  life  suddenly  be- 
come too  serious  for  *  Pinafore  '  or  the  '  Mi- 
kado '?" 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know,"  said  Katherine,  with- 
out turning  round.  "  They  are  humorous  all, 
and  so  each  furnishes  something  suitable  for 
the  saddened  mind.  Wisdom  comes  through 
understanding  your  alphabet  properly.  For 
instance,  first  there  was  Gilbert,  and  that  gave 
us  G;  then  came  Kipling,  and  he  gave  us  K; 
thus  we  get  an  algebraic  formula,  G.K.,  which 
are  the  initials  of  Chesterton,  a  still  later  ar- 
rival, and  as  the  mind  increases  in  despond- 
ency it  sinks  lower  and  lower  down  the  alpha- 
bet until  it  comes  to  S,  and  thus  we  have 
Barn-yard  Shaw,  an  improvement  on  the 
Kail-yard  school,  who  takes  the  O  pshaw  view 
of  life.  And  relaxing  hold  of  him  I  sink 
deeper  until  I  come  to  W — W.  W.  Jacobs — 
how  I  wish  he  wrote  poetry!  He  should  be 
the  humorist  of  all  sailors,  and  perhaps  some 
time  he  will  desert  barges  for  battleships. 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  101 

Then  I  shall  read  him  with  increased  enjoy- 
ment." 

"  I  wouldn't  give  Mark  Twain  for  the  lot," 
commented  Dorothy  with  decision. 

"  Mark  Twain  isn't  yours  to  give,  my  dear. 
He  belongs  to  me  also.  You've  forgotten  that 
comparisons  are  odious.  Our  metier  is  not  to 
compare,  but  to  take  what  pleases  us  from 
each. 

'  How  doth  the  little  busy  bee 

Improve  each  shining  hour, 

And  gather  honey  all  the  day 

From  every  opening  flower. 

Watts.  You  see,  I'm  still  down  among  the 
W's.  Oh,  Dorothy,  how  can  you  sit  there  so 
placidly  when  the  '  Consternation  '  has  just 
faded  from  sight?  Selfish  creature! 

*  Oh,  give  me  tears  for  others'  woes 
And  patience  for  mine  own/ 

I  don't  know  who  wrote  that,  but  you  have  no 
tears  for  others'  woes,  merely  greeting  them 
with  ribald  laughter,"  for  Dorothy,  with  the 
well-read  letter  in  her  hand,  was  making  the 
rafters  ring  with  her  merriment,  something 
that  had  never  before  happened  during  her 
long  tenancy  of  that  room.  Kate  turned  her 


102  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

head  slowly  round,  and  the  expression  on  her 
face  was  half -indignant,  half -humorous,  while 
her  eyes  were  uncertain  weather  prophets,  and 
gave  equal  indication  of  sunshine  or  rain. 

11  Why,  Katherine,  you  look  like  a  tragedy 
queen,  rather  than  the  spirit  of  comedy  !  Is  it 
really  a  case  of  i  Tit-willow,  tit-willow,  tit- 
willow  '  ?  You  see,  I'm  a-rescuing  you  from 
the  bottom  of  the  alphabet,  and  bringing  you 
up  to  the  Gilbert  plane,  where  I  am  more  ac- 
customed to  you,  and  understand  you  better. 
Is  this  despondency  due  to  the  departure  of 
the  *  Consternation/  and  the  fact  that  she 
carries  away  with  her  Jack  Lament,  black- 
smith? " 

The  long  sigh  terminated  in  a  woeful "  yes." 

"  The  ship  that  has  gone  out  with  him  we 
call  she.  If  he  had  eloped  with  a  real  she, 
then  wearing  the  willow,  or  singing  it,  how- 
ever futile,  might  be  understandable.  As  it  is 
I  see  nothing  in  the  situation  to  call  for  a 
sigh." 

' '  That  is  because  you  are  a  hardened  sinner, 
Dorothy.  You  have  no  heart,  or  at  least  if  you 
have,  it  is  untouched,  and  therefore  you  can- 
not understand.  If  that  note  in  your  hand 
were  a  love  missive,  instead  of  a  letter  from 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  103 

your  lawyers,  you  would  be  more  human, 
Dorothy." 

The  hand  which  held  the  paper  crumpled  it 
up  slightly  as  Katherine  spoke. 

"  Business  letters  are  quite  necessary,  and 
belong  to  the  world  we  live  in,"  said  Dorothy, 
a  glow  of  brighter  color  suffusing  her  cheeks. 
"  Surely  your  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Lamont 
is  of  the  shortest." 

"  He  has  called  upon  me  every  day  since 
the  night  of  the  ball,"  maintained  Katherine 
stoutly. 

"  Well,  that's  only  three  times." 

"  Only  three  !  How  you  talk  !  One  would 
think  you  had  never  been  schooled  in  mathe- 
matics. Why,  three  is  a  magic  figure.  You 
can  do  plenty  of  amazing  things  with  it.  Don't 
you  know  that  three  is  a  numeral  of  love  ?  ' 

"  I  thought  two  was  the  number,"  chimed 
Dorothy,  with  heartless  mirth. 

"  Three,"  said  Katherine,  taking  one  last 
look  at  the  empty  horizon,  then  seating  herself 
in  front  of  her  friend,  "  three  is  a  recurring 
decimal.  It  goes  on  and  on  and  on  forever, 
and  if  you  write  it  for  a  thousand  years  you 
are  still  as  far  from  the  end  as  when  you  be- 
gan. It  will  carry  you  round  the  world  and 
back  again,  and  never  diminish.  It  is  the 


104  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

mathematical  emblem  of  the  nature  of  true 
love." 

"  Is  it  so  serious  as  all  that,  Kate,  or  are  you 
just  fooling  again?  '  asked  Dorothy,  more 
soberly  than  heretofore.  "  Has  he  spoken  to 
you?  " 

"  Spoken?  He  has  done  nothing  but  speak, 
and  I  have  listened — oh,  so  intently,  and  with 
such  deep  understanding.  He  has  never  before 
met  such  a  woman  as  I,  and  has  frankly  told 
me  so." 

"  I  am  very  glad  he  appreciates  you,  dear." 

"  Yes,  you  see,  Dorothy,  I  am  really  much 
deeper  than  the  ordinary  woman.  Who,  for 
instance,  could  find  such  a  beautiful  love  simile 
from  a  book  of  arithmetic  costing  twenty-five 
cents,  as  I  have  unearthed  from  decimal  frac- 
tions? With  that  example  in  mind  how  can 
you  doubt  that  other  volumes  of  college  learn- 
ing reveal  to  me  their  inner  meaning?  John 
presented  to  me,  as  he  said  good-by,  a  beauti- 
fully bound  copy  of  that  celebrated  text-book, 
*  Saunders'  Analytical  Chemistry,'  with  par- 
ticularly tender  passages  marked  in  pencil, 
by  his  own  dear  hand. ' ' 

Bather  bewildered,  for  Kate's  expression 
was  one  of  pathos,  unrelieved  by  any  gleam 
of  humor,  Dorothy  nevertheless  laughed,  al- 


A   ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  105 

though  the  laugh  brought  no  echo  from  Kath- 
erine. 

"  And  did  you  give  him  a  volume  of  Brown- 
ing in  return  ?  ' 

"  No,  I  didn't.  How  can  you  be  so  unsym- 
pathetic ?  Is  it  impossible  for  you  to  compre- 
hend the  unseen  link  that  binds  John  and  me  ? 
I  rummaged  the  book  store  until  I  found  a 
charming  little  edition  of  '  Marshall's  Geolo- 
gist's Pocket  Companion, '  covered  with  beauti- 
ful brown  limp  Russia  leather — I  thought  the 
Russia  binding  was  so  inspirational — with  a 
sweet  little  clasp  that  keeps  it  closed — typical 
of  our  hands  at  parting.  On  the  fly-leai^5r 
wrote:  l  To  J.  L.,  in  remembrance  of  many 
interesting  conversations  with  his  friend,  K. 
K.'  It  only  needed  another  K  to  be  emblem- 
atic and  political,  a  reminiscence  of  the  olden 
times,  when  you  people  of  the  South,  Dorothy, 
were  making  it  hot  for  us  deserving  folks  in 
the  North.  I  hadn't  time  to  go  through  the 
book  very  thoroughly,  but  I  found  many  refer- 
ences to  limestone,  which  I  marked,  and  one 
particularly  choice  bit  of  English  relating  to 
the  dissolution  and  re-consolidation  of  various 
minerals  I  drew  a  parallelogram  around  in 
red  ink.  A  friend  of  mine  in  a  motor  launch 
was  good  enough  to  take  the  little  parcel  direct 


106  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

to  the  '  Consternation,'  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that  at  this  moment  Jack  is  perusing  it,  and 
perhaps  thinking  of  the  giver.  I  hope  it's  up- 
to-date,  and  that  he  had  not  previously  bought 
a  copy." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say,  Kate,  that  your 
conversation  was  entirely  about  geology?  ' 

"  Certainly  not.  How  could  you  have  be- 
come imbued  with  an  idea  so  absurd  ?  We  had 
many  delightful  dalliances  down  the  romantic 
groves  of  chemistry,  heart-to-heart  talks  on 
metallurgy,  and  once — ah,  shall  I  ever  forget 
it — while  the  dusk  gently  enfolded  us,  and  I 
gazed  into  those  bright,  speaking,  intelligent 
eyes  of  his  as  he  bent  nearer  and  nearer ;  while 
his  low,  sonorous  voice  in  well-chosen  words 
pictured  to  me  the  promise  which  fortified 
cement  holds  out  to  the  world ;  that  is,  ignorant 
person,  Portland  cement  strengthened  by  ribs 
of  steel;  and  I  sat  listening  breathless  as  his 
glowing  phrases  prophesied  the  future  of  this 
combination." 

Katherine  closed  her  eyes,  rocked  gently 
back  and  forth,  and  crooned,  almost  inaudibly : 

"  '  When  you  gang  awa,  Jimmie, 
Faur  across  the  sea,  laddie, 
When  ye  gang  to  Eussian  lands 
What  will  ye  send  to  me,  laddie?' 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  107 

I  know  what  I  shall  get.  It  will  probably  be  a 
newly  discovered  recipe  for  the  compounding 
of  cement  which  will  do  away  with  the  ne- 
cessity of  steel  strengthening." 

"  Kate,  dear,  you  are  overdoing  it.  It  is 
quite  right  that  woman  should  be  a  mystery  to 
man,  but  she  should  not  aspire  to  become  a 
mystery  to  her  sister  woman.  Are  you  just 
making  fun,  or  is  there  something  in  all  this 
more  serious  than  your  words  imply  ?  ' 

' '  Like  the  steel  strengthening  in  the  cement, 
it  may  be  there,  but  you  can't  see  it,  and  you 
can't  touch  it,  but  it  makes — oh,  such  a  differ- 
ence to  the  slab.  Heigho,  Dorothy,  let  us  for- 
sake these  hard-headed  subjects,  and  turn  to 
something  human.  What  have  your  lawyers 
been  bothering  you  about?  No  trouble  over 
the  money,  is  there?  ' 

Dorothy  shook  her  head. 

"  No.  Of  course,  there  are  various  matters 
they  have  to  consult  me  about,  and  get  my  con- 
sent to  this  project  or  the  other." 

"  Read  the  letter.  Perhaps  my  mathemat- 
ical mind  can  be  of  assistance  to  you." 

Dorothy  had  concealed  the  letter,  and  did 
not  now  produce  it. 

1 1  It  is  with  reference  to  your  assistance, 
and  your  continued  assistance,  that  I  wish  to 


108  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

speak  to  you.  Let  us  follow  the  example  of  the 
cement  and  the  steel,  and  form  a  compact.  In 
one  respect  I  am  going  to  imitate  the  '  Con- 
sternation.' I  leave  Bar  Harbor  next  week." 

Katherine  sat  up  in  her  chair,  and  her  eyes 
opened  wide. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  Bar  Harbor?  " 
she  asked. 

6  i  You  can  answer  that  question  better  than 
I,  Kate.  The  Kempt  family  are  not  visitors, 
but  live  here  all  the  year  round.  What  do  you 
think  is  the  matter  with  Bar  Harbor  ?  ' 

"  I  confess  it's  a  little  dull  in  the  winter 
time,  and  in  all  seasons  it  is  situated  a  consid- 
erable distance  from  New  York.  Where  do 
you  intend  to  go,  Dorothy?  ' 

"  That  will  depend  largely  on  where  my 
friend  Kate  advises  me  to  go,  because  I  shall 
take  her  with  me  if  she  will  come." 

"  Companion,  lady's-maid,  parlor  maid, 
maid-of-all-work,  cook,  governess,  type- 
writer-girl— which  have  I  to  be?  Shall  I 
get  one  afternoon  a  week  off,  and  may  my 
young  man  come  and  see  me,  if  I  happen  to 
secure  one,  and,  extremely  important,  what 
are  the  wages  ?  ' 

"  You  shall  fix  your  own  salary,  Kate,  and 
my  lawer  men  will  arrange  that  the  chosen 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  109 

sum  is  settled  upon  you  so  that  if  we  fall  out 
we  can  quarrel  on  equal  terms." 

"  Oh,  I  see,  it's  an  adopted  daughter  I  am 
to  be,  then?" 

"  An  adopted  sister,  rather." 

"  Do  you  think  I  am  going  to  take  advan- 
tage of  my  friendship  with  an  heiress,  and  so 
pension  myself  off?  ' 

"It  is  I  who  am  taking  the  advantage," 
said  Dorothy,  "  and  I  beg  you  to  take  compas- 
sion, rather  than  advantage,  upon  a  lone  crea- 
ture who  has  no  kith  or  kin  in  the  world." 

"  Do  you  really  mean  it,  Dot?  ' 

"  Of  course  I  do.  Should  I  propose  it  if  I 
didn't?  " 

"  Well,  this  is  the  first  proposal  I've  ever 
had,  and  I  believe  it  is  customary  to  say  on 
those  occasions  that  it  is  so  sudden,  or  so  un- 
expected, and  time  is  required  for  considera- 
tion." 

"  How  soon  can  you  make  up  your  mind, 
Kate?" 

"  Oh,  my  mind's  already  made  up.  I'm  go- 
ing to  jump  at  your  offer,  but  I  think  it  more 
ladylike  to  pretend  a  mild  reluctance.  What 
are  you  going  to  do,  Dorothy?  ' 

"  I  don't  know.  I've  settled  on  only  one 
thing.  I  intend  to  build  a  little  stone  and  tile 


110  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

church,  very  quaint  and  old-fashioned,  if  I  get 
the  right  kind  of  architect  to  draw  a  plan  for 
it,  and  this  church  is  to  be  situated  in  Haver- 
stock." 

"  Where's  Haverstock?  " 

"  It  is  a  village  near  the  Hudson  River,  on 
the  plain  that  stretches  toward  the  Catskills. ' ' 

"  It  was  there  you  lived  with  your  father, 
was  it  not?  " 

"  Yes,  and  my  church  is  to  be  called  the  Dr. 
Amhurst  Memorial  Church." 

"  And  do  you  propose  to  live  at  Haver- 
stock?  " 

"  I  was  thinking  of  that." 

"  Wouldn't  it  be  just  a  little  dull?  " 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  it  is,  but  it  seems  to  me  a 
suitable  place  where  two  young  women  may 
meditate  on  what  they  are  going  to  do  with 
their  lives." 

11  Yes,  that's  an  important  question  for  the 
two.  I  say,  Dorothy,  let's  take  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  and  enter  Vassar  College.  Then 
we  should  at  least  have  some  fun,  and  there 
would  be  some  reasonably  well-educated  peo- 
ple to  speak  to." 

"  Oh,  you  wish  to  use  your  lately  acquired 
scientific  knowledge  in  order  to  pass  the  ex- 
aminations; but,  you  see,  I  have  had  no  tutor 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  111 

to  school  me  in  the  mysteries  of  lime-burning 
and  the  mixing  of  cement.  Now,  you  have 
scorned  my  side  of  the  river,  and  I  have  ob- 
jected to  your  side  of  the  river.  That  is  the 
bad  beginning  which,  let  us  hope,  makes  the 
good  ending.  Who  is  to  arbitrate  on  our 
dispute?  " 

"  Why,  we'll  split  the  difference,  of 
course." 

"  How  can  we  do  that?  Live  in  a  house- 
boat on  the  river  like  Frank  Stockton's  '  Rud- 
der Grange ' ? ' 

"  No,  settle  in  the  city  of  New  York,  which 
is  practically  an  island  in  the  Hudson." 

"  Would  you  like  to  live  in  New  York?  ' 

"  Wouldn't  I!  Imagine  any  one,  having 
the  chance,  living  anywhere  else!  ' 

"  In  a  hotel,  I  suppose — the  Holldorf  for 
choice." 

"  Yes,  we  could  live  in  a  hotel  until  we 
found  the  ideal  flat,  high  up  in  a  nice  apart- 
ment house,  with  a  view  like  that  from  the  top 
of  Mount  Washington,  or  from  the  top  of  the 
Washington  Monument." 

"  But  you  forget  I  made  one  proviso  in  the 
beginning,  and  that  is  that  I  am  going  to  build 
a  church,  and  the  church  is  to  be  situated,  not 


112  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

in  the  city  of  New  York,  but  in  the  village  of 
Haverstock." 

"  New  York  is  just  the  place  from  which  to 
construct  such  an  edifice.  Haverstock  will  be 
somewhere  near  the  West  Shore  Railway. 
Very  well.  We  can  take  a  trip  up  there  once 
a  week  or  of tener,  if  you  like,  and  see  how  the 
work  is  progressing,  then  the  people  of  Haver- 
stock will  respect  us.  As  we  drive  from  the 
station  they'll  say: 

"  i  There's  the  two  young  ladies  from  New 
York  who  are  building  the  church.'  But  if 
we  settle  down  amongst  them  they'll  think 
we're  only  ordinary  villagers  instead  of  the 
distinguished  persons  we  are.  Or,  while  our 
flat  is  being  made  ready  we  could  live  at  one 
of  the  big  hotels  in  the  Catskills,  and  come 
down  as  often  as  we  like  on  the  inclined  rail- 
way. Indeed,  until  the  weather  gets  colder, 
the  Catskills  is  the  place. 

'And  lo,  the  Catskills  print  the  distant  sky, 

And  o'er  their  airy  tops  the  faint  clouds  driven, 

So  softly  blending  that  the  cheated  eye 
Forgets  or  which  is  earth,  or  which  is  heaven/  ': 

"  That  ought  to  carry  the  day  for  the  Cats- 
kills,  Kate.  What  sort  of  habitation  shall  we! 


A  ROCK   IN   THE  BALTIC  113 

choose  ?  A  big  hotel,  or  a  select  private  board- 
ing house?  ' 

"  Oh,  a  big  hotel,  of  course — the  biggest 
there  is,  whatever  its  name  may  be.  One  of 
those  whose  rates  are  so  high  that  the  pro- 
prietor daren't  advertise  them,  but  says  in  his 
announcement,  *  for  terms  apply  to  the  man- 
ager.' It  must  have  ample  grounds,  support 
an  excellent  band,  and  advertise  a  renowned 
cuisine.  Your  room,  at  least,  should  have  a 
private  balcony  on  which  you  can  place  a 
telescope  and  watch  the  building  of  your 
church  down  below.  I,  being  a  humble  per- 
son in  a  subordinate  position,  should  have  a 
balcony  also  to  make  up  for  those  deficien- 


cies." 


"  Very  well,  Kate,  that's  settled.  But  al- 
though two  lone  women  may  set  up  housekeep- 
ing in  a  New  York  flat,  they  cannot  very  well 
go  alone  to  a  fashionable  hotel." 

"  Oh,  yes,  we  can.  Best  of  references  given 
and  required." 

"  I  was  going  to  suggest,"  pursued  Dorothy, 
not  noticing  the  interruption, ' '  that  we  invite 
your  father  and  mother  to  accompany  us. 
They  might  enjoy  a  change  from  sea  air  to 
mountain  air." 

Katherine  frowned  a  little,  and  demurred. 


11-1  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  Are  you  going  to  be  fearfully  conven- 
tional, Dorothy  1  " 

"  We  must  pay  some  attention  to  the  con- 
ventions, don't  you  think?  ' 

"  I  had  hoped  not.  I  yearn  to  be  a  bachelor 
girl,  and  own  a  latch-key. ' ' 

"  We  shall  each  possess  a  latch-key  when  we 
settle  down  in  New  York.  Our  flat  will  be  our 
castle,  and,  although  our  latch-key  will  let  us 
in,  our  Yale  lock  will  keep  other  people  out. 
A  noted  summer  resort  calls  for  different 
treatment,  because  there  we  lead  a  semi-public 
life.  Besides,  I  am  selfish  enough  to  wish  my 
coming-out  to  be  under  the  auspices  of  so  well- 
known  a  man  as  Captain  Kempt." 

"  All  right,  I'll  see  what  they  say  about  it. 
You  don't  want  Sabina,  I  take  it?  ' 

"  Yes,  if  she  will  consent  to  come." 

"  I  doubt  if  she  will,  but  I'll  see.  Besides, 
now  that  I  come  to  think  about  it,  it 's  only  fair 
I  should  allow  my  doting  parents  to  know  that 
I  am  about  to  desert  them." 

With  that  Katherine  quitted  the  room,  and 
went  down  the  stairs  hippety-hop. 

Dorothy  drew  the  letter  from  its  place  of 
concealment,  and  read  it  for  the  third  time, 
although  one  not  interested  might  have  termed 
it  a  most  commonplace  document.  It  began: 


A  EOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  115 

"  Dear  Miss  Amhurst,"  and  ended  "  Yours 
most  sincerely,  Alan  Dmmmond."  It  gave 
some  account  of  his  doings  since  lie  bade  good- 
bye to  her.  A  sailor,  he  informed  her,  needs 
little  time  for  packing  his  belongings,  and  on 
the  occasion  in  question  the  Prince  had  been 
of  great  assistance.  They  set  out  together  for 
the  early  morning  train,  and  said  "  au  revoir  " 
at  the  station.  Drummond  had  intended  to  sail 
from  New  York,  but  a  friendly  person  whom 
he  met  on  the  train  informed  him  that  the  Liv- 
erpool liner  "  Enthusiana  "  set  out  from  Bos- 
ton next  day,  so  he  had  abandoned  the  New 
York  idea,  and  had  taken  passage  on  the  liner 
named,  on  whose  note-paper  he  wrote  the  let- 
ter, which  epistle  was  once  more  concealed  as 
Dorothy  heard  Katherine's  light  step  on  the 
stair. 

That  impulsive  young  woman  burst  into  the 
sewing  room. 

"  We're  all  going,"  she  cried.  "  Father, 
mother  and  Sabina.  It  seems  father  has  had 
an  excellent  offer  to  let  the  house  furnished  till 
the  end  of  September,  and  he  says  that,  as  he 
likes  high  life,  he  will  put  in  the  time  on  the 
top  of  the  Catskills.  He  abandons  me,  and  says 
that  if  he  can  borrow  a  shilling  he  is  going  to 
cut  me  off  with  it  in  his  will.  He  regrets  the 


116  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

departure  of  the  British  Fleet,  because  he 
thinks  he  might  have  been  able  to  raise  a  real 
English  shilling  aboard.  Dad  only  insists  on 
one  condition,  namely,  that  he  is  to  pay  for 
himself,  mother  and  Sabina,  so  he  does  not 
want  a  room  with  a  balcony.  I  said  that  in 
spite  of  his  disinheritance  I'd  help  the  family 
out  of  my  salary,  and  so  he  is  going  to  recon- 
sider the  changing  of  his  will. ' ' 

"  We  will   settle  the   conditions   when  we 
reach  the  Catskills,"  said  Dorothy,  smiling. 


CHAPTER   VII 


CAPTAIN  and  Mrs.  Kempt  with  Sabina  had 
resided  a  week  in  the  Matterhorn  Hotel  before 
the  two  girls  arrived  there.  They  had  gone 
direct  to  New  York,  and  it  required  the  seven 
days  to  find  a  flat  that  suited  them,  of  which 
they  were  to  take  possession  on  the  first  of 
October.  Then  there  were  the  lawyers  to  see ; 
a  great  many  business  details  to  settle,  and 
an  architect  to  consult.  After  leaving  New 
York  the  girls  spent  a  day  at  Haverstock, 
where  Dorothy  Amhurst  bought  a  piece  of 
land  as  shrewdly  as  if  she  had  been  in  the  real 
estate  business  all  her  life.  After  this  transac- 
tion the  girls  drove  to  the  station  on  the  line 
connecting  with  the  inclined  railway,  and  so, 
as  Katherine  remarked,  were  "  wafted  to  the 
skies  on  flowery  beds  of  ease,"  which  she  ex- 
plained to  her  shocked  companion  was  all 
right,  because  it  was  a  quotation  from  a  hymn. 
When  at  last  they  reached  their  hotel,  Kathe- 
rine was  in  ecstasies. 


118  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

"  Isn't  this  heavenly?  "  she  cried,  "  and, 
indeed,  it  ought  to  be,  for  I  understand  we  are 
three  thousand  feet  higher  than  we  were  in 
New  York,  and  even  the  sky-scrapers  can't 
compete  with  such  an  altitude." 

The  broad  valley  of  the  Hudson  lay  spread 
beneath  them,  stretching  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  see,  shimmering  in  the  thin,  bluish  veil 
of  a  summer  evening,  and  miles  away  the  river 
itself  could  be  traced  like  a  silver  ribbon. 

The  gallant  Captain,  who  had  been  energet- 
ically browbeaten  by  his  younger  daughter, 
and  threatened  with  divers  pains  and  penal- 
ties should  he  fail  to  pay  attention  and  take 
heed  to  instructions,  had  acquitted  himself 
with  eclat  in  the  selection  of  rooms  for  Dor- 
othy and  his  daughter.  The  suite  was  situated 
in  one  corner  of  the  huge  caravansary,  a  large 
parlor  occupying  the  angle,  with  windows  on 
one  side  looking  into  the  forest,  and  on  the 
other  giving  an  extended  view  across  the  val- 
ley. The  front  room  adjoining  the  parlor  was 
to  be  Dorothy's  very  own,  and  the  end  room 
belonged  to  Katherine,  he  said,  as  long  as  she 
behaved  herself.  If  Dorothy  ever  wished  to 
evict  her  strenuous  neighbor,  all  she  had  to  do 
was  to  call  upon  the  Captain,  and  he  would 
lend  his  aid,  at  which  proffer  of  assistance 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

Katherine  tossed  her  head,  and  said  she  would 
try  the  room  for  a  week,  and,  if  she  didn't  like 
it,  out  Dorothy  would  have  to  go. 

There  followed  days  and  nights  of  revelry. 
Hops,  concerts,  entertainments  of  all  sorts, 
with  a  more  pretentious  ball  on  Saturday 
night,  when  the  week-tired  man  from  New 
York  arrived  in  the  afternoon  to  find  temper- 
ature twenty  degrees  lower,  and  the  altitude 
very  much  higher  than  was  the  case  in  his 
busy  office  in  the  city.  Katherine  revelled  in 
this  round  of  excitement,  and  indeed,  so,  in  a 
milder  way,  did  Dorothy.  After  the  functions 
were  over  the  girls  enjoyed  a  comforting  chat 
with  one  another  in  their  drawing  room;  all 
windows  open,  and  the  moon  a-shining  down 
over  the  luminous  valley,  which  it  seemed  to 
fill  with  mother-o '-pearl  dust. 

Young  Mr.  J.  K.  Henderson  of  New  York, 
having  danced  repeatedly  with  Katherine  on 
Saturday  night,  unexpectedly  turned  up  for 
the  hop  on  the  following  Wednesday,  when 
he  again  danced  repeatedly  with  the  same  joy- 
ous girl.  It  being  somewhat  unusual  for  a  keen 
business  man  to  take  a  four  hours'  journey 
during  an  afternoon  in  the  middle  of  the  week, 
and,  as  a  consequence,  arrive  late  at  his  office 
next  morning,  Dorothy  began  to  wonder  if  a 


120  A  ROCK  IN"  THE  BALTIC 

concrete  formation,  associated  with  the  name 
of  Prince  Ivan  Lermontoff:  of  Kussia,  was 
strong  enough  to  stand  an  energetic  assault  of 
this  nature,  supposing  it  were  to  be  constantly 
repeated.  It  was  after  midnight  on  Wednes- 
day when  the  two  reached  the  corner  parlor. 
Dorothy  sat  in  a  cane  armchair,  while  Kath- 
erine  threw  herself  into  a  rocking-chair,  laced 
her  fingers  behind  her  head,  and  gazed 
through  the  open  window  at  the  misty  infinity 
beyond. 

"  Well,"  sighed  Katherine,  "  this  has  been 
the  most  enjoyable  evening  I  ever  spent!  ' 

"  Are  you  quite  sure?"  inquired  her  friend. 

"  Certainly.    Shouldn't  I  know?  " 

"  He  dances  well,  then?  ' 

"  Exquisitely!  " 

"  Better  than  Jack  Lamont?  ' 

"  Well,  now  you  mention  him  I  must  con- 
fess Jack  danced  very  creditably." 

"  I  didn't  know  but  you  might  have  forgot- 
ten the  Prince." 

"  No,  I  haven't  exactly  forgotten  him,  but 
— I  do  think  he  might  have  written  to  me." 

"  Oh,  that's  it,  is  it?  Did  he  ask  your  per- 
mission to  write  ?  ' 

"  Good  gracious,  no.  We  never  talked  of 
writing.  Old  red  sandstone,  rather,  was  our 


A  EOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  121 

topic  of  conversation.  Still,  he  might  have 
acknowledged  receipt  of  the  book." 

"  But  the  book  was  given  to  him  in  return 
for  the  one  he  presented  to  you." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  it  was.  I  hadn't  thought 
of  that." 

"  Then  again,  Kate,  Russian  notions  regard- 
ing writing  to  young  ladies  may  differ  from 
ours,  or  he  may  have  fallen  overboard,  or 
touched  a  live  wire." 

"  Yes,  there  are  many  possibilities,"  mur- 
mured Katherine  dreamily. 

"  It  seems  rather  strange  that  Mr.  Hender- 
son should  have  time  to  come  up  here  in  the 
middle  of  the  week." 

"  Why  is  it  strange?  "  asked  Katherine. 
"  Mr.  Henderson  is  not  a  clerk  bound  down  to 
office  hours.  He's  an  official  high  up  in  one 
of  the  big  insurance  companies,  and  gets  a 
simply  tremendous  salary." 

"  Really?  Does  he  talk  as  well  as  Jack  La- 
mont  did?  " 

"  He  talks  less  like  the  Troy  Technical  In- 
stitute, and  more  like  the  '  Home  Journal  ' 
than  poor  Prince  Jack  did,  and  then  he 
has  a  much  greater  sense  of  humor.  When  I 
told  him  that  the  oath  of  an  insurance  man 
should  be  '  bet  your  life !  '  he  laughed.  Now, 


122  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

Jack  would  never  have  seen  the  point  of  that. 
Anyhow,  the  hour  is  too  late,  and  I  am  too 
sleepy,  to  worry  about  young  men,  or  jokes 
either.  Good-night!  ' 

Next  morning's  mail  brought  Dorothy  a 
bulky  letter  decorated  with  English  stamps. 
She  locked  the  door,  tore  open  the  envelope, 
and  found  many  sheets  of  thin  paper  bearing 
the  heading  of  the  Bluewater  Club,  Pall  Mall. 

1 1  I  am  reminded  of  an  old  adage, ' '  she  read, 
"  to  the  effect  that  one  should  never  cross  a 
bridge  before  arriving  at  it.  Since  I  bade 
good-by  to  you,  up  to  this  very  evening,  I  have 
been  plodding  over  a  bridge  that  didn't  exist, 
much  to  my  own  discomfort.  You  were  with 
me  when  I  received  the  message  ordering  me 
home  to  England,  and  I  don't  know  whether 
or  not  I  succeeded  in  suppressing  all  signs  of 
my  own  perturbation,  but  we  have  in  the  Navy 
now  a  man  who  does  not  hesitate  to  overturn 
a  court  martial,  and  so  I  feared  a  re-opening 
of  the  Rock  in  the  Baltic  question,  which 
might  have  meant  the  wrecking  of  my  career. 
I  had  quite  made  up  my  mind,  if  the  worst 
came  to  the  worst,  to  go  out  West  and  become 
a  cow-boy,  but  a  passenger  with  whom  I  be- 
came acquainted  on  the  l  Enthusiana  '  in- 
formed me,  to  my  regret,  that  the  cow-boy  is 


5    .   *  i  y  f    '-    . .   . 


She  tore  open  the  envelope  and  found  many  sheets  of  thin 
paper.     (Page  122) 


•11 J.. 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  123 

largely  a  being  of  the  past,  to  be  met  with  only 
in  the  writings  of  Stewart  Edward  White, 
Owen  Wister,  and  several  other  famous  men 
whom  he  named.  So  you  see,  I  went  across 
the  ocean  tolerably  depressed,  finding  my 
present  occupation  threatened,  and  my  future 
^"certain. 

"  When  I  arrived  in  London  I  took  a  room 
at  this  Club,  of  which  I  have  been  a  member 
for  some  years,  and  reported  immediately  at 
the  Admiralty.  But  there,  in  spite  of  all  dili- 
gence on  my  part,  I  was  quite  unable  to  learn 
what  was  wanted  of  me.  Of  course,  I  could 
have  gone  to  my  Uncle,  who  is  in  the  govern- 
ment, and  perhaps  he  might  have  enlightened 
me,  although  he  has  nothing  to  do  with  the 
Navy,  but  I  rather  like  to  avoid  Uncle  Met- 
gurne.  He  brought  me  up  since  I  was  a  small 
boy,  and  seems  unnecessarily  ashamed  of  the 
result.  It  is  his  son  who  is  the  attache  in  St. 
Petersburg  that  I  spoke  to  you  about." 

Dorothy  ceased  reading  for  a  moment. 

"  Metgurne,  Metgurne,"  she  said  to  herself. 
"  Surely  I  know  that  name?  ' 

She  laid  down  the  letter,  pressed  the  electric 
button,  and  unlocked  the  door.  When  the  ser- 
vant came,  she  said: 

"  Will  you  ask  at  the  office  if  they  have  any 


124  A  ROCK!  IN  THE  BALTIC 

biographical  book  of   reference   relating   to 
Great  Britain,  and  if  so,  please  bring  it  to 


me.' 


The  servant  appeared  shortly  after  with  a 
red  book  which  proved  to  be  an  English 
"  Who's  Who  "  dated  two  years  back.  Turn- 
ing the  pages  she  came  to  Metgurne. 

"  Metgurne,  twelfth  Duke  of,  created  1631, 
Herbert  George  Alan."  Here  followed  a  num- 
ber of  other  titles,  the  information  that  the 
son  and  heir  was  Marquis  of  Thaxted,  and 
belonged  to  the  Diplomatic  Service,  that  Lord 
Metgurne  was  H.  M.  Secretary  of  State  for 
Royal  Dependencies ;  finally  a  list  of  residen- 
ces and  clubs.  She  put  down  the  book  and  re- 
sumed the  letter. 

"  I  think  I  ought  to  have  told  you  that 
when  I  reach  St.  Petersburg  I  shall  be  as 
anxious  to  avoid  my  cousin  Thaxted  as  I  am 
to  steer  clear  of  his  father  in  London.  So  I 
sat  in  my  club,  and  read  the  papers.  Dear  me, 
this  is  evidently  going  to  be  a  very  long  letter. 
I  hope  you  won't  mind.  I  think  perhaps  you 
may  be  interested  in  learning  how  they  do 
things  over  here. 

"  After  two  or  three  days  of  anxious  wait- 
ing there  came  a  crushing  communication 
from  the  Admiralty  which  confirmed  my  worst 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  125 

fears  and  set  me  at  crossing  the  bridge  again. 
I  was  ordered  to  report  next  morning  at 
eleven,  at  Committee  Room  5,  in  the  Admir- 
alty, and  bring  with  me  full  particulars  per- 
taining to  the  firing  of  gun  number  so-and-so 
of  the  '  Consternation's  '  equipment  on  such  a 
date.  I  wonder  since  that  I  did  not  take  to 
drink.  We  have  every  facility  for  that  sort 
of  thing  in  this  club.  However,  at  eleven  next 
day,  I  presented  myself  at  the  Committee 
Room  and  found  in  session  the  grimmest  look- 
ing five  men  I  have  ever  yet  been  called  upon 
to  face.  Collectively  they  were  about  ten  times 
worse  in  appearance  than  the  court-martial  I 
had  previously  encountered.  Four  of  the  men 
I  did  not  know,  but  the  fifth  I  recognized  at 
once,  having  often  seen  his  portrait.  He  is  Ad- 
miral Sir  John  Pendergest,  popularly  known 
in  the  service  as  '  Old  Grouch/  a  blue  terror 
who  knows  absolutely  nothing  of  mercy.  The 
lads  in  the  service  say  he  looks  so  disagreeable 
because  he  is  sorry  he  wasn't  born  a  hanging 
judge.  Picture  a  face  as  cleanly  cut  as  that  of 
some  severe  old  Roman  Senator;  a  face  as 
hard  as  marble,  quite  as  cold,  and  nearly  as 
white,  rescued  from  the  appearance  of  a  death 
mask  by  a  pair  of  piercing  eyes  that  glitter 
like  steel.  When  looking  at  him  it  is  quite  im- 


126  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

possible  to  believe  that  such  a  personage  has 
ever  been  a  boy  who  played  pranks  on  his 
masters.  Indeed,  Admiral  Sir  John  Pender- 
gest  seems  to  have  sprung,  fully  uniformed 
and  forbidding,  from  the  earth,  like  those  sol- 
diers of  mythology.  I  was  so  taken  aback  at 
confronting  such  a  man  that  I  never  noticed 
my  old  friend,  Billy  Richardson,  seated  at  the 
table  as  one  of  the  minor  officials  of  the  Com- 
mittee. Billy  tells  me  I  looked  rather  white 
about  the  lips  when  I  realized  what  was  ahead 
of  me,  and  I  daresay  he  was  right.  My  conso- 
lation is  that  I  didn't  get  red,  as  is  my  discon- 
certing habit.  I  was  accommodated  with  a 
chair,  and  then  a  ferrety-faced  little  man  be- 
gan asking  me  questions,  consulting  every 
now  and  then  a  foolscap  sheet  of  paper  which 
was  before  him.  Others  were  ready  to  note 
down  the  answers. 

< '  '  When  did  you  fire  the  new  gun  from  the 
"  Consternation  "  in  the  Baltic?  ' 

"  Dear  Miss  Amhurst,  I  have  confessed  to 
you  that  I  am  not  brilliant,  and,  indeed,  such 
confession  was  quite  unnecessary,  for  you 
must  speedily  have  recognized  the  fact,  but 
here  let  me  boast  for  a  line  or  two  of  my  one 
accomplishment,  which  is  mathematical  accu- 
racy. When  I  make  experiments  I  don't  note 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  127 

the  result  by  rule  of  thumb.  My  answer  to  the 
ferret-faced  man  was  prompt  and  complete. 

"  l  At  twenty-three  minutes,  seventeen  sec- 
onds past  ten,  A.M.,  on  May  the  third  of  this 
year/  was  my  reply. 

"  The  five  high  officials  remained  perfectly 
impassive,  but  the  two  stenographers  seemed 
somewhat  taken  by  surprise,  and  one  of  them 
whispered, '  Did  you  say  fifteen  seconds,  sir  ?  ' 

"  *  He  said  seventeen,'  growled  Sir  John 
Pendergest,  in  a  voice  that  seemed  to  come  out 
of  a  sepulchre. 

"  '  Who  sighted  the  gun?  ' 

"'  I  did,  sir.' 

"  '  Why  did  not  the  regular  gunner  da 
that?  ' 

"  *  He  did,  sir,  but  I  also  took  observations, 
and  raised  the  muzzle  .000327  of  an  inch.' 

"  '  Was  your  gunner  inaccurate,  then,  to 
that  extent  ?  ' 

"  '  No,  sir,  but  I  had  weighed  the  ammuni- 
tion, and  found  it  short  by  two  ounces  and 
thirty-seven  grains. ' 

"  I  must  not  bore  you  with  all  the  questions 
and  answers.  I  merely  give  these  as  samples. 
They  questioned  me  about  the  recoil,  the  action 
of  the  gun,  the  state  of  this,  that  and  the  other 
after  firing,  and  luckily  I  was  able  to  answer 


128  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

to  a  dot  every  query  put  to  me.  At  the  finish 
one  of  the  judges  asked  me  to  give  in  my  own 
words  my  opinion  of  the  gun.  Admiral  Sir 
John  glared  at  him  as  he  put  this  question,  for 
of  course  to  any  expert  the  answers  I  had  fur- 
nished, all  taken  together,  gave  an  accurate 
verdict  on  the  gun,  assuming  my  statements 
to  have  been  correct,  which  I  maintain  they 
were.  However,  as  Sir  John  made  no  verbal 
comment,  I  offered  my  opinion  as  tersely  as  I 
could. 

"  '  Thank  you,  Lieutenant  Prummond,' 
rumbled  Sir  John  in  his  deep  voice,  as  if  he 
were  pronouncing  sentence,  and,  my  testimony 
completed,  the  Committee  rose. 

"  I  was  out  in  the  street  before  Billy  Rich- 
ardson overtook  me,  and  then  he  called  him- 
self to  my  attention  by  a  resounding  slap  on 
the  shoulder. 

"  '  Alan,  my  boy,'  he  cried,  '  you  have  done 
yourself  proud.  Your  fortune 's  made. ' 

"  l  As  how?  '  I  asked,  shaking  him  by  the 
hand. 

"  '  Why,  we've  been  for  weeks  holding  an 
inquiry  on  this  blessed  gun,  and  the  question 
is  whether  or  not  a  lot  more  of  them  are  to  be 
made.  You  know  what  an  opinionated  beast 
Old  Grouch  is.  Well,  my  boy,  you  have  cor- 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  129 

roborated  his  opinion  of  the  gun  in  every  de- 
tail. He  is  such  a  brow-beating,  tyrannical 
brute  that  the  rest  of  the  Committee  would 
rather  like  to  go  against  him  if  they  dared,  but 
you  have  put  a  spoke  in  their  wheel.  Why, 
Sir  John  never  said  "  thank  you  "  to  a  human 
being  since  he  was  born  until  twenty-seven 
minutes  and  fifteen  seconds  after  eleven  this 
morning,  as  you  would  have  put  it, '  and  at  the 
time  of  writing  this  letter  this  surmise  of 
Billy's  appears  to  be  justified,  for  the  tape  in 
the  club  just  now  announced  that  the  Commit- 
tee has  unanimously  decided  in  favor  of  the 
gun,  and  adds  that  this  is  regarded  as  a  tri- 
umph for  the  chairman,  Admiral  Sir  John 
Pendergest,  with  various  letters  after  his 
name. 

"  Dear  Miss  Amhurst,  this  letter,  as  I 
feared,  has  turned  out  intolerably  long,  and 
like  our  first  conversation,  it  is  all  about  my- 
self. But  then,  you  see,  you  are  the  only  one 
on  the  other  side  of  the  water  to  whom  I  have 
confided  my  selfish  worries,  and  I  believe  you 
to  be  so  kind-hearted  that  I  am  sure  you  will 
not  censure  me  for  this  once  exceeding  the  lim- 
its of  friendly  correspondence.  Having  been 
deeply  depressed  during  all  the  previous  long 
days,  the  sudden  reaction  urges  me  to  go  out 


130  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

into  Pall  Mall,  fling  my  cap  in  the  air,  and 
whoop,  which  action  is  quite  evidently  a  rem- 
nant of  my  former  cow-boy  aspirations.  Truth 
to  tell,  the  Russian  business  seems  already  for- 
gotten, except  by  my  stout  old  Captain  on  the 

*  Consternation, '  or  my  Uncle.  The  strenuous 
Sir  John  has  had  me  haled  across  the  ocean 
merely  to  give  testimony,  lasting  about  thirty- 
five  minutes,  when  with  a  little  patience  he 
might  have  waited  till  the  i  Consternation  ' 
herself  arrived,  or  else  have  cabled  for  us  to 
try  the  gun  at  Bar  Harbor.   I  suppose,  how- 
ever, that  after  my  unfortunate  contretemps 
with  Russia  our  government  was  afraid  I'd 
chip  a  corner  off  the  United  States,  and  that 
they'd  have  to  pay  for  it.    So  perhaps  after 
all  it  was  greater  economy  to  bring  me  across 
on  the  liner  '  Enthusiana. ' 

"  By  the  way,  I  learned  yesterday  that  the 

*  Consternation'  has  been  ordered  home,  and  so 
I  expect  to  see  Jack  Lamont  before  many  days 
are  past.   The  ship  will  be  paid  off  at  Ports- 
mouth, and  then  I  suppose  he  and  I  will  have 
our  freedom  for  six  months.  I  am  rather  look- 
ing forward  to  Jack's  cooking  me  some  weird 
but  tasteful  Russian  dishes  when  we  reach  his 
blacksmith's  shop  in  St.  Petersburg.    If  I  get 
on  in  Russia  as  I  hope  and  expect,  I  shall 


A  ROCK  IN   THE   BALTIC  131 

spend  the  rest  of  my  leave  over  in  the  States. 
I  saw  very  little  indeed  of  that  great  country, 
and  am  extremely  anxious  to  see  more.  When 
one  is  on  duty  aboard  ship  one  can  only  take 
very  short  excursions  ashore.  I  should  like  to 
visit  Niagara.  It  seems  ridiculous  that  one 
should  have  been  all  along  the  American  coast 
from  Canada  to  New  York,  and  never  have 
got  far  enough  inland  to  view  the  great  Falls. 
"  Kussif  is  rather  dilatory  in  her  methods, 
but  I  surely  should  know  within  two  or  three 
weeks  whether  I  am  going  to  succeed  or  not. 
If  not,  then  there  is  no  use  in  waiting  there. 
I  shall  try  to  persuade  the  Prince  to  accom- 
pany me  to  America.  During  the  weeks  I  am 
waiting  in  St.  Petersburg  I  shall  continually 
impress  upon  him  the  utter  futility  of  a  life 
which  has  not  investigated  the  great  electrical 
power  plant  at  Niagara  Falls.  And  then  he 
is  interested  in  the  educational  system  of  the 
United  States.  While  we  were  going  to  the 
station  early  that  morning  he  told  me  that 
the  United  States  educational  system  must  be 
the  most  wonderful  in  the  world,  because  he 
found  that  your  friend,  Miss  Katherine 
Kempt,  knew  more  about  electricity,  metal- 
lurgy, natural  philosophy  and  a  great  num- 
ber of  other  things  he  is  interested  in,  than 


132  A   ROCK   IN   THE   BALTIC 

all  the  ladies  he  has  met  in  Europe  put  to- 
gether. He  thinks  that's  the  right  sort  of 
education  for  girls,  and  all  this  rather  aston- 
ished me,  because,  although  your  friend  was 
most  charming,  she  said  nothing  during  my 
very  short  acquaintance  with  her  to  lead  me 
to  suspect  that  she  had  received  a  scientific 
training. 

"  Dear  Miss  Amhurst,  I  am  looking  every 
day  for  a  letter  from  you,  but  none  has  yet 
been  received  by  the  Admiralty,  who,  when 
they  get  one,  will  forward  it  to  whatever  part 
of  the  world  I  happen  to  be  in." 


CHAPTER   VIII 

"  WHEN  JOHNNY  COMES  MARCHING   HOME  r 

A  SUMMER  hotel  that  boasts  a  thousand 
acres  of  forest,  more  or  less,  which  serve  the 
purposes  of  a  back-yard,  affords  its  guests, 
even  if  all  its  multitude  of  rooms  are  occu- 
pied, at  least  one  spot  for  each  visitor  to  re- 
gard as  his  or  her  favorite  nook.  So  large 
an  extent  of  woodland  successfully  defies 
landscape  gardening.  It  insists  on  being  left 
alone,  and  its  very  immensity  raises  a  finan- 
cial barrier  against  trimly-kept  gravel  walks. 
There  were  plenty  of  landscape  garden  walks 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  hotel,  and 
some  of  them  ambitiously  penetrated  into  the 
woods,  relapsing  from  the  civilization  of 
beaten  gravel  into  a  primitive  thicket  trail, 
which,  however,  always  led  to  some  celebrated 
bit  of  picturesqueness :  a  waterfall,  or  a  pul- 
pit rock  upstanding  like  a  tower,  or  the 
fancied  resemblance  of  a  human  face  carved 
by  Nature  from  the  cliff,  or  a  view-point  jut- 
ting out  over  the  deep  chasm  of  the  valley, 
which  usually  supported  a  rustic  summer 


134  A  BOOK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

house  or  pavilion  where  unknown  names  were 
carved  on  the  woodwork — the  last  resort  of 
the  undistinguished  to  achieve  immortality 
by  means  of  a  jack-knife. 

Dorothy  discovered  a  little  Eden  of  her 
own,  to  which  no  discernible  covert-way  led, 
for  it  was  not  conspicuous  enough  to  obtain 
mention  in  the  little  gratis  guide  which  the 
hotel  furnished — a  pamphlet  on  coated  paper 
filled  with  half-tone  engravings,  and  half- 
extravagant  eulogies  of  what  it  proclaimed 
to  be,  an  earthly  paradise,  with  the  rates  by 
the  day  or  week  given  on  the  cover  page  to 
show  on  what  terms  this  paradise  might  be 
enjoyed. 

Dorothy's  bower  was  green,  and  cool,  and 
crystal,  the  ruggedness  of  the  rocks  softened 
by  the  wealth  of  foliage.  A  very  limpid 
spring,  high  up  and  out  of  sight  among  the 
leaves,  sent  its  waters  tinkling  down  the  face 
of  the  cliff,  ever  filling  a  crystal-clear  lakelet 
at  the  foot,  which  yet  was  never  full.  Vel- 
vety and  beautiful  as  was  the  moss  surround- 
ing this  pond,  it  was  nevertheless  too  damp 
to  form  an  acceptable  couch  for  a  human 
being,  unless  that  human  being  were  brave 
enough  to  risk  the  rheumatic  inconveniences 
which  followed  Rip  Van  Winkle's  long  sleep 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  135 

in  these  very  regions,  so  Dorothy  always  car- 
ried with  her  from  the  hotel  a  feather-weight, 
spider's- web  hammock,  which  she  deftly  slung 
between  two  saplings,  their  light  suppleness 
giving  an  almost  pneumatic  effect  to  this 
fairy  net  spread  in  a  fairy  glen ;  and  here  the 
young  woman  swayed  luxuriously  in  the  re- 
laxing delights  of  an  indolence  still  too  new 
to  have  become  commonplace  or  wearisome. 
She  always  expected  to  read  a  great  deal  in 
the  hammock,  but  often  the  book  slipped  un- 
noticed to  the  moss,  and  she  lay  looking  up- 
ward at  the  little  discs  of  blue  sky  visible 
through  the  checkering  maze  of  green  leaves. 
One  afternoon,  deserted  by  the  latest  piece  of 
fictional  literature,  marked  in  plain  figures 
on  the  paper  cover  that  protected  the  cloth 
binding,  one  dollar  and  a  half,  but  sold  at  the 
department  stores  for  one  dollar  and  eight 
cents,  Dorothy  lay  half-hypnotized  by  the 
twinkling  of  the  green  leaves  above  her,  when 
she  heard  a  sweet  voice  singing  a  rollicking 
song  of  the  Civil  War,  and  so  knew  that 
Katherine  was  thus  heralding  her  approach. 

"  '  When  Johnny  comes  marching  home  again, 

Hurrah  !    Hurrah  ! 
"Well  give  him  a  hearty  welcome  then. 
Hurrah  !    Hurrah  ! 


136  A  KOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

The  men  will  cheer,  the  boys  will  shout, 
The  ladies  they  will  all  turn  out, 
And  we'll  all  feel  gay 

When  Johnny  comes  marching  home/'; 

Dorothy  went  still  further  back  into  the 
Itistory  of  her  country,  and  gave  a  faint  imi- 
tation of  an  Indian  war-whoop,  to  let  the  on- 
<?omer  know  she  was  welcome,  and  presently 
Katherine  burst  impetuously  through  the 
dense  undergrowth. 

"  So  here  you  are,  Miss  Laziness,"  she 
<cried. 

"  Here  I  am,  Miss  Energy,  or  shall  I  call 
you  Miss-applied  Energy?  Katherine,  you 
have  walked  so  fast  that  you  are  quite  red  in 
the  face." 

"  It  isn't  exertion,  it's  vexation.  Dorothy, 
I  have  had  a  perfectly  terrible  time.  It  is  the 
anxiety  regarding  the  proper  discipline  of 
parents  that  is  spoiling  the  nervous  system 
of  American  children.  Train  them  up  in  the 
^way  they  should  go,  and  when  they  are  old 
they  do  depart  from  it.  There's  nothing 
more  awful  than  to  own  parents  who  think 
they  possess  a  sense  of  humor.  Thank  good- 
ness mother  has  none!  ' 

"  Then  it  is  your  father  who  has  been  mis- 
l>ehaving?  ' 


A  ROCK   IN"   THE  BALTIC 

"  Of  course  it  is.  He  treats  the  most  seri- 
ous problem  of  a  woman's  life  as  if  it  were 
the  latest  thing  in  i  Life. ' 

Dorthy  sat  up  in  the  hammock. 

"  The  most  important  problem?  That 
means  a  proposal.  Goodness  gracious,  Kate, 
is  that  insurance  man  back  here  again?  ' 

"  What  insurance  man?  ' 

"  Oh,  heartless  and  heart-breaking  Kath^ 
erine,  is  there  another?  Sit  here  in  the  ham- 
mock beside  me,  and  tell  me  all  about  it." 

"  No,  thank  you,"  refused  Katherine.  "  I 
weigh  more  than  you,  and  I  cannot  risk  ni}7 
neck  through  the  collapse  of  that  bit  of  gos- 
samer. I  must  take  care  of  myself  for  his 
sake." 

"  Then  it  is  the  life  insurance  man  whose 
interests  you  are  consulting?  Have  you 
taken  out  a  policy  with  him?  ' 

"  Dear  me,  you  are  nearly  as  bad  as  father,, 
but  not  quite  so  funny.  You  are  referring  to 
Mr.  Henderson,  I  presume.  A  most  delight- 
ful companion  for  a  dance,  but,  my  dear 
Dorothy,  life  is  not  all  glided  out  to  the  meas- 
ures of  a  Strauss  waltz." 

"  True;  quite  undisputable,  Kate,  and  them 
sentiments  do  you  credit.  Who  is  the  man  ?  ' 

"  The  human  soul,"  continued  Katherina 


138  A  KOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

seriously,  "  aspires  to  higher  things  than  the 
society  columns  of  the  New  York  Sunday 
papers,  and  the  frivolous  chatter  of  an  over- 
heated ball-room. '  * 

"  Again  you  score,  Kate,  and  are  rising 
higher  and  higher  in  my  estimation.  I  see  it 
all  now.  Those  solemn  utterances  of  yours 
point  directly  toward  Hugh  Miller's  '  Old 
Red  Sandstone  '  and  works  of  that  sort,  and 
now  I  remember  your  singing  '  When  Johnny 
comes  marching  home.'  I  therefore  take  it 
that  Jack  Lamont  has  arrived." 

"He  has  not." 

•  "  Then  he  has  written  to  you?  ' 
.  "  He  has  not." 

"  Oh,  well,  I  give  it  up.  Tell  me  the  trag- 
edy your  own  way." 

For  answer  Katherine  withdrew  her  hands 
from  behind  her,  and  offered  to  her  friend  a 
sheet  of  paper  she  had  been  holding.  Doro- 
thy saw  blazoned  on  the  top  of  it  a  coat-of- 
arms,  and  underneath  it,  written  in  words 
of  the  most  formal  nature,  was  the  informa- 
tion that  Prince  Ivan  Lermontoff  presented 
his  warmest  regards  to  Captain  Kempt, 
U.S.N.,  retired,  and  begged  permission  to  pay 
his  addresses  to  the  Captain's  daughter  Kath- 


A  ROCK:  IN  THE  BALTIC  139 

erine.  Dorothy  looked  up  from  the  docu- 
ment, and  her  friend  said  calmly : 

"  You  see,  they  need  another  Katherine  in 
Russia." 

"  I  hope  she  won't  be  like  a  former  one,  if 
all  IVe  read  of  her  is  true.  This  letter  was 
sent  to  your  father,  then?  ' 

"  It  was,  and  he  seems  to  regard  it  as  a 
huge  joke.  Said  he  was  going  to  cable  his 
consent,  and  as  the  '  Consternation  '  has  sailed 
away,  he  would  try  to  pick  her  up  by  wire- 
less telegraphy,  and  secure  the  young  man 
that  way:  suggests  that  I  shall  have  a  lot  of 
new  photographs  taken,  so  that  he  can  hand 
them  out  to  the  reporters  when  they  call  for 
particulars.  Sees  in  his  mind's  eye,  he  says, 
a  huge  black-lettered  heading  in  the  evening 
papers :  *  A  Russian  Prince  captures  one  of 
our  fairest  daughters/  and  then  insultingly 
hinted  that  perhaps,  after  all,  it  was  better 
not  to  use  my  picture,  as  it  might  not  bear 
out  the  '  fair  daughter  '  fiction  of  the  head- 
ing." 

"  Yes,  Kate,  I  can  see  that  such  treatment 
of  a  vital  subject  must  have  been  very  pro- 
voking." 

"  Provoking?  I  should  say  it  was!  He 
pretended  he  was  going  to  tack  this  letter  up 


140  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

on  the  notice-board  in  the  hall  of  the  hotel, 
so  that  every  one  might  know  what  guests  of 
distinction  the  Matterhorn  House  held.  But 
the  most  exasperating  feature  of  the  situa- 
tion is  that  this  letter  has  been  lying  for  days 
and  days  at  our  cottage  in  Bar  Harbor.  I 
am  quite  certain  that  I  left  instructions  for 
letters  to  be  forwarded,  but,  as  nothing  came, 
I  telegraphed  yesterday  to  the  people  who 
lave  taken  our  house,  and  now  a  whole  heap 
of  belated  correspondence  has  arrived,  with 
a  note  from  our  tenant  saying  he  did  not 
know  our  address.  You  will  see  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  note  that  the  Prince  asks  my  father 
to  communicate  with  him  by  sending  a  reply 
to  the  '  Consternation  '  at  New  York,  but  now 
the  '  Consternation  '  has  sailed  for  England, 
and  poor  John  must  have  waited  and  waited 


in  vain.' 


"  Write  care  of  the  '  Consternation  '  in 
England." 

"  But  Jack  told  me  that  the  '  Consterna- 
tion '  paid  off  as  soon  as  she  arrived,  and 
probably  hetwill  have  gone  to  Russia." 

"  If  you  address  him  at  the  Admiralty  in 
Xiondon,  the  letter  will  be  forwarded  where- 
ever  he  happens  to  be." 

"  How  do  you  know?  ' 


A  ROCK  IN  THE   BALTIC  141 

"  I  have  heard  that  such  is  the  case." 

"  But  you're  not  sure,  and  I  want  to  be 
certain. ' ' 

"  Are  you  really  in  love  with  him,  Kate?  ' 

"  Of  course  I  am.  You  know  that  very 
well,  and  I  don't  want  any  stupid  misappre- 
hension to  arise  at  the  beginning,  such  as  al- 
lows a  silly  author  to  carry  on  his  story  to 
the  four-hundredth  page  of  such  trash  as 
this, ' '  and  she  gently  touched  with  her  toe  the 
unoffending  volume  which  lay  on  the  ground 
beneath  the  hammock. 

"  Then  why  not  adopt  your  father's  sug- 
gestion, and  cable?  It  isn't  you  who  are 
cabling,  you  know." 

"  I  couldn't  consent  to  that.  It  would  look 
as  if  we  were  in  a  hurry,  wouldn't  it?  ' 

"  Then  let  me  cable." 

"You?    To  whom?" 

"  Hand  me  up  that  despised  book,  Kate, 
and  I'll  write  my  cablegram  on  the  fly-leaf. 
If  you  approve  of  the  message,  I'll  go  to  the 
hotel,  and  send  it  at  once." 

Katherine  gave  her  the  book,  and  lent  the 
little  silver  pencil  which  hung  jingling,  with 
other  trinkets,  on  the  chain  at  her  belt.  Doro- 
thy scribbled  a  note,  tore  out  the  fly-leaf,  and 
presented  it  to  Katherine,  who  read : 


142  A  ROCK   IN   THE   BALTIC 

"  Alan  Drummond,  Bluewater  Club,  Pall 
Mall,  London.  Tell  Lamont  that  his  letter  to 
Captain  Kempt  was  delayed,  and  did  not 
reach  the  Captain  until  to-day.  Captain 
Kempt 's  reply  will  be  sent  under  cover  to  you 
at  your  club.  Arrange  for  forwarding  if  you 
leave  England.  Dorothy  Amhurst." 

When  Katherine  finished  reading  she 
looked  up  at  her  friend,  and  exclaimed: 
"  Well!  "  giving  that  one  word  a  meaning 
deep  as  the  clear  pool  on  whose  borders  she 
stood. 

Dorothy's  face  reddened  as  if  the  sinking 
western  sun  was  shining  full  upon  it. 

"  You  write  to  one  another,  then?  ' 

"Yes." 

"  And  is  it  a  case  of " 

' '  No ;  friendship. ' ' 

"  Sure  it  is  nothing  more  than  that?  ' 

Dorothy  shook  her  head. 

"  Dorothy,  you  are  a  brick;  that's  what 
you  are.  You  will  do  anything  to  help  a 
friend  in  trouble." 

Dorothy  smiled. 

"  I  have  so  few  friends  that  whatever  I  can 
do  for  them  will  not  greatly  tax  any  capabili- 
ties I  may  possess." 

"  Nevertheless,  Dorothy,  I  thoroughly  ap- 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  143 

preciate  what  you  have  done.  You  did  not 
wish  any  one  to  know  you  were  correspond- 
ing with  him,  and  yet  you  never  hesitated  a 
moment  when  you  saw  I  was  anxious." 

"  Indeed,  Kate,  there  was  nothing  to  con- 
ceal. Ours  is  a  very  ordinary  exchange  of 
letters.  I  have  only  had  two:  one  at  Bar 
Harbor  a  few  days  after  he  left,  and  another 
longer  one  since  we  came  to  the  hotel,  written 
from  England." 

"  Did  the  last  one  go  to  Bar  Harbor,  too? 
How  came  you  to  receive  it  when  we  did  not 
get  ours?  ' 

"  It  did  not  go  to  Bar  Harbor.  I  gave  him 
the  address  of  my  lawyers  in  New  York,  and 
they  forwarded  it  to  me  here.  Lieutenant 
Drummond  was  ordered  home  by  some  one 
who  had  authority  to  do  so,  and  received  the 
message  while  he  was  sitting  with  me  on  the 
night  of  the  ball.  He  had  got  into  trouble 
with  Russia.  There  had  been  an  investiga- 
tion, and  he  was  acquitted.  I  saw  that  he  was 
rather  worried  over  the  order  home  and  I 
expressed  my  sympathy  as  well  as  I  could, 
hoping  everything  would  turn  out  for  the  best. 
He  asked  if  he  might  write  and  let  me  know 
the  outcome,  and,  being  interested,  I  quite 
willingly  gave  him  permission,  and  my  ad- 


144  A  ROCK  IN"  THE  BALTIC 

dress.  The  letter  I  received  was  all  about  a 
committee  meeting  at  the  Admiralty  in  which 
he  took  part.  He  wrote  to  me  from  the  club 
in  Pall  Mall  to  which  I  have  addressed  this 
cablegram. ' ' 

There  was  a  sly  dimple  in  Katherine's 
cheeks  as  she  listened  to  this  straightforward 
explanation,  and  the  faintest  possible  sus- 
picion of  a  smile  flickered  at  the  corner  of 
her  mouth.  She  murmured,  rather  than 
sang: 

"  'A  pair  of  lovesick  maidens  we.": 
"  One,  if  you  please,"  interrupted  Dorothy. 
"  'Lovesick  all  against  our  will— '" 

"  Only  one." 

"  'Twenty  years  hence  we  shan't  be 
A  pair  of  lovesick  maidens  still/  " 

u  I  am  pleased  to  note,"  said  Dorothy  de- 
murely, "  that  the  letter  written  by  the  Prince 
to  your  father  has  brought  you  back  to  the 
Gilbert  and  Sullivan  plane  again,  although  in 
this  fairy  glen  you  should  quote  from  lo- 
lanthe  rather  than  from  Patience. ' ' 

"  Yes,  Dot,  this  spot  might  do  for  a  cove  in 
the  '  Pirates  of  Penzance,'  only  we're  too  far 


A  ROCK  IN  THE   BALTIC  145 

from  the  sea.  But,  to  return  to  the  matter  in 
hand,  I  don't  think  there  will  be  any  need  to 
send  that  cablegram.  I  don't  like  the  idea  of 
a  cablegram,  anyhow.  I  will  return  to  the 
hotel,  and  dictate  to  my  frivolous  father  a 
serious  composition  quite  as  stately  and  for- 
mal as  that  received  from  the  Prince.  He 
will  address  it  and  seal  it,  and  then  if  you  are 
kind  enough  to  enclose  it  in  the  next  letter 
you  send  to  Lieutenant  Drummond,  it  will  be 
sure  to  reach  Jack  Lamont  ultimately." 

Dorothy  sprang  from  the  hammock  to  the 
ground. 

"  Oh,"  she  cried  eagerly,  "  I'll  go  into  the 
hotel  with  you  and  write  my  letter  at  once." 

Katherine  smiled,  took  her  by  the  arm,  and 
said: 

"  You're  a  dear  girl,  Dorothy.  I'll  race 
you  to  the  hotel,  as  soon  as  we  are  through 

this  thicket." 
10 


CHAPTER   IX 

IN  RUSSIA 

THE  next  letter  Dorothy  received  bore 
Russian  stamps,  and  was  dated  at  the  black- 
smith's shop,  Bolshoi  Prospect,  St.  Peters- 
burg. After  a  few  preliminaries,  which  need 
not  be  set  down  here,  Drummond  continued : 

"  The  day  after  Jack  arrived  in  London, 
there  being  nothing  whatever  to  detain  him 
in  England,  we  set  off  together  for  St.  Peters- 
burg, and  are  now  domiciled  above  his  black- 
smith shop.  We  are  not  on  the  fashionable 
side  of  the  river,  but  our  street  is  wide,  and  a 
very  short  walk  brings  us  to  a  bridge  which, 
being  crossed,  allows  us  to  wander  among 
palaces  if  we  are  so  disposed.  We  have  been 
here  only  four  days,  yet  a  good  deal  has  al- 
ready been  accomplished.  The  influence  of 
the  Prince  has  smoothed  my  path  for  me. 
Yesterday  I  had  an  audience  with  a  very  im- 
portant personage  in  the  Foreign  Office,  and 
to-day  I  have  seen  an  officer  of  high  rank  in 
the  navy.  The  Prince  warns  me  to  mention 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  147 

no  names,  because  letters,  even  to  a  young 
lady,  are  sometimes  opened  before  they  reach 
the  person  to  whom  they  are  addressed. 
These  officials  who  have  been  kind  enough  to 
receive  me  are  gentlemen  so  polished  that  I 
feel  quite  uncouth  in  their  presence.  I  am 
a  little  shaky  in  my  French,  and  feared  that 
my  knowledge  of  that  language  might  not 
carry  me  through,  but  both  of  these  officials 
speak  English  much  better  than  I  do,  and 
they  seemed  rather  pleased  I  had  voluntarily 
visited  St.  Petersburg  to  explain  that  no  dis- 
courtesy was  meant  in  the  action  I  had  so  un- 
fortunately taken  on  the  Baltic,  and  they 
gave  me  their  warmest  assurances  they  would 
do  what  they  could  to  ease  the  tension  be- 
tween our  respective  countries.  It  seems  that 
my  business  here  will  be  finished  much  sooner 
than  I  expected,  and  then  I  am  off  on  the 
quickest  steamer  for  New  York,  in  the  hope 
of  seeing  Niagara  Falls.  I  have  met  with  one 
disappointment,  however.  Jack  says  he  can- 
not possibly  accompany  me  to  the  United 
States.  I  have  failed  to  arouse  in  him  the 
faintest  interest  about  the  electric  works  at 
Niagara.  He  insists  that  he  is  on  the  verge 
of  a  most  important  discovery,  the  nature  of 
which  he  does  not  confide  in  me.  I  think  he 


148  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

is  working  too  hard,  for  tie  is  looking  quite 
haggard  and  overdone,  but  that  is  always  the 
way  with  him.  He  throws  himself  heart  and 
soul  into  any  difficulty  that  confronts  him, 
and  works  practically  night  and  day  until  he 
has  solved  it. 

"  Yesterday  he  gave  the  whole  street  a 
fright.  I  had  just  returned  from  the  Foreign 
Office,  and  had  gone  upstairs  to  my  room, 
when  there  occurred  an  explosion  that  shook 
the  building  from  cellar  to  roof,  and  sent  the 
windows  of  our  blacksmith's  shop  rattling 
into  the  street.  Jack  had  a  most  narrow  es- 
cape, but  is.  unhurt,  although  that  fine  beard 
of  his  was  badly  singed.  He  has  had  it  shaved 
off,  and  now  sports  merely  a  mustache,  look- 
ing quite  like  a  man  from  New  York.  You 
wouldn't  recognize  him  if  you  met  him  on 
Broadway.  The  carpenters  and  glaziers  are 
at  work  to-day  repairing  the  damage.  I  told 
Jack  that  if  this  sort  of  thing  kept  on  I'd  be 
compelled  to  patronize  another  hotel,  but  he 
says  it  won't  happen  again.  It  seems  he  was 
trying  to  combine  two  substances  by  adding 
a  third,  and,  as  I  understood  him,  the  mixing 
took  place  with  unexpected  suddenness.  He 
has  endeavored  to  explain  to  me  the  reaction, 
as  he  calls  it,  which  occurred,  but  I  seem  to 


A  BOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  149 

have  no  head  for  chemistry,  and  besides,  if 
I  am  to  be  blown  through  the  roof  some  of 
these  days  it  will  be  no  consolation  to  me  when 
I  come  down  upon  the  pavement  outside  to 
know  accurately  the  different  elements  which 
contributed  to  my  elevation.  Jack  is  very 
patient  in  trying  to  instruct  me,  but  he  could 
not  resist  the  temptation  of  making  me 
ashamed  by  saying  that  your  friend,  Miss 
Katherine  Kempt,  would  have  known  at  once 
the  full  particulars  of  the  reaction.  Indeed, 
he  says,  she  warned  him  of  the  disaster,  by 
marking  a  passage  in  a  book  she  gave  him 
which  foreshadowed  this  very  thing.  She  must 
be  a  most  remarkable  young  woman,  and  it 
shows  how  stupid  I  am  that  I  did  not  in  the 
least  appreciate  this  fact  when  in  her  com- 
pany." 

The  next  letter  was  received  a  week  later. 
He  was  getting  on  swimmingly,  both  at  the 
Foreign  Office  and  at  the  Russian  Admiralty. 
All  the  officials  he  had  met  were  most  court- 
eous and  anxious  to  advance  his  interests. 
He  wrote  about  the  misapprehensions  held  in 
England  regarding  Russia,  and  expressed 
his  resolve  to  do  what  he  could  when  he  re- 
turned to  remove  these  false  impressions. 

"  Of  course,"  he  went  on,  "  no  American 


150  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

or  Englishman  can  support  or  justify  the 
repressive  measures  so  often  carried  out 
ruthlessly  by  the  Russian  police.  Still,  even 
these  may  be  exaggerated,  for  the  police 
have  to  deal  with  a  people  very  much  differ- 
ent from  our  own.  It  is  rather  curious  that 
at  this  moment  I  am  in  vague  trouble  con- 
cerning the  police.  I  am  sure  this  place  is 
watched,  and  I  am  also  almost  certain  that  my 
friend  Jack  is  being  shadowed.  He  dresses 
like  a  workman;  his  grimy  blouse  would  de- 
light the  heart  of  his  friend  Tolstoi,  but  he 
is  known  to  be  a  Prince,  and  I  think  the 
authorities  imagine  he  is  playing  up  to  the 
laboring  class,  whom  they  despise.  I  lay  it 
all  to  that  unfortunate  explosion,  which  gath- 
ered the  police  about  us  as  if  they  had 
sprung  from  the  ground.  There  was  an  offi- 
cial examination,  of  course,  and  Jack  ex- 
plained, apparently  to  everybody's  satisfac- 
tion, exactly  how  he  came  to  make  the  mis- 
take that  resulted  in  the  loss  of  his  beard 
and  his  windows.  I  don't  know  exactly  how 
to  describe  the  feeling  of  uneasiness  which 
has  come  over  me.  At  first  sight  this  city  did 
not  strike  me  as  so  very  much  different  from 
New  York  or  London,  and  meeting,  as  I  did, 
so  many  refined  gentlemen  in  high  places,  I 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  151 

had  come  to  think  St.  Petersburg  was  after 
all  very  much  like  Paris,  or  Berlin,  or  Rome. 
But  it  is  different,  and  the  difference  makes 
itself  subtly  felt,  just  as  the  air  in  some  coast 
towns  of  Britain  is  relaxing,  and  in  others 
bracing.  In  these  towns  a  man  doesn't  notice 
the  effect  at  first,  but  later  on  he  begins  to 
feel  it,  and  so  it  is  here  in  St.  Petersburg. 
Great  numbers  of  workmen  pass  down  our 
street.  They  all  seem  to  know  who  the  Prince 
is,  and  the  first  days  we  were  here,  they 
saluted  him  with  a  deference  which  I  sup- 
posed was  due  to  his  rank,  in  spite  of  the 
greasy  clothes  he  wore.  Since  the  explosion 
an  indefinable  change  has  come  over  these 
workmen.  They  salute  the  Prince  still  when 
we  meet  them  on  the  street,  but  there  is  in 
their  attitude  a  certain  sly  sympathy,  if  I 
may  so  term  it ;  a  bond  of  camaraderie  which 
is  implied  in  their  manner  rather  than  ex- 
pressed. Jack  says  this  is  all  fancy  on  my 
part,  but  I  don't  think  it  is.  These  men  im- 
agine that  Prince  Ivan  Lermontoff,  who  lives 
among  them  and  dresses  like  them,  is  concoct- 
ing some  explosive  which  may  yet  rid  them  of 
the  tyrants  who  make  their  lives  so  unsafe. 
All  this  would  not  matter,  but  what  does  mat- 
ter is  the  chemical  reaction,  as  I  believe  Jack 


152  A   ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

would  term  it,  which  has  taken  place  among 
the  authorities.  The  authorities  undoubtedly 
have  their  spies  among  the  working-men,  and 
know  well  what  they  are  thinking  about  and 
talking  about.  I  do  not  believe  they  were  sat- 
isfied with  the  explanations  Jack  gave  regard- 
ing the  disaster.  I  have  tried  to  impress  upon 
Jack  that  he  must  be  more  careful  in  walking 
about  the  town,  and  I  have  tried  to  persuade 
him,  after  work,  to  dress  like  the  gentleman 
he  is,  but  he  laughs  at  my  fears,  and  assures 
me  that  I  have  gone  from  one  extreme  to  the 
other  in  my  opinion  of  St.  Petersburg.  First 
I  thought  it  was  like  all  other  capitals;  now 
I  have  swung  too  far  in  the  other  direction. 
He  says  the  police  of  St.  Petersburg  would 
not  dare  arrest  him,  but  I'm  not  so  sure  of 
that.  A  number  of  things  occur  to  me,  as 
usual,  too  late.  Russia,  with  her  perfect  se- 
cret service  system,  must  know  that  Prince 
Lermontoff  has  been  serving  in  the  British 
Navy.  They  know  he  returned  to  St.  Peters- 
burg, avoids  all  his  old  friends,  and  is  brought 
to  their  notice  by  an  inexplicable  explosion, 
and  they  must  be  well  aware,  also,  that  he  is 
in  the  company  of  the  man  who  fired  the  shell 
at  the  rock  in  the  Baltic,  and  that  he  himself 
served  on  the  offending  cruiser. 


A   ROCK  IN   THE   BALTIC  153 

"  As  to  my  own  affairs,  I  must  say  they  are 
progressing  slowly  but  satisfactorily;  never- 
theless, if  Jack  would  leave  St.  Petersburg, 
and  come  with  me  to  London  or  New  York, 
where  he  could  carry  on  his  experiments  quite 
as  well,  or  even  better  than  here,  I  should  de- 
part at  once,  even  if  I  jeopardized  my  own 
prospects." 

The  next  letter,  some  time  later,  began : 
"  Your  two  charming  notes  to  me  arrived 
here  together.  It  is  very  kind  of  you  to  write 
to  a  poor  exile  and  cheer  him  in  his  banish- 
ment. I  should  like  to  see  that  dell  where  you 
have  swung  your  hammock.  Beware  of  Hen- 
drik  Hudson's  men,  so  delightfully  written  of 
by  Washington  Irving.  If  they  offer  you 
anything  to  drink,  don't  you  take  it.  Think 
how  disastrous  it  would  be  to  all  your  friends 
if  you  went  to  sleep  in  that  hammock  for 
twenty  years.  It's  the  Catskills  I  want  to  see 
now  rather  than  Niagara  Falls.  Your  sec- 
ond letter  containing  the  note  from  Captain 
Kempt  to  Jack  was  at  once  delivered  to  him. 
What  on  earth  has  the  genial  Captain  written 
to  effect  such  a  transformation  in  my  friend  ? 
He  came  to  me  that  evening  clothed  in  his 
right  mind ;  in  evening  rig-out,  with  his  deco- 
rations upon  it,  commanded  me  to  get  into 


154  A  ROCK  IST   THE  BALTIC 

my  dinner  togs,  took  me  in  a  carriage  across 
the  river  to  the  best  restaurant  St.  Peters- 
burg affords,  and  there  we  had  a  champagne 
dinner  in  which  he  drank  to  America  and  all 
things  American.  Whether  it  was  the  enthu- 
siasm produced  by  Captain  Kempt 's  commu- 
nication, or  the  effect  of  the  champagne,  I  do 
not  know,  but  he  has  reconsidered  his  deter- 
mination not  to  return  to  the  United  States, 
and  very  soon  we  set  out  together  for  the 
west. 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  get  out  of  this  place. 
We  were  followed  to  the  restaurant,  I  am  cer- 
tain, and  I  am  equally  certain  that  at  the  next 
table  two  police  spies  were  seated,  and  these 
two  shadowed  us  in  a  cab  until  we  reached  our 
blacksmith's  shop.  It  is  a  humiliating  con- 
fession to  make,  but  somehow  the  atmosphere 
of  this  place  has  got  on  my  nerves,  and  I  shall 
be  glad  to  turn  my  back  on  it.  Jack  pooh- 
poohs  the  idea  that  he  is  in  any  danger.  Even 
the  Governor  of  St.  Petersburg,  he  says,  dare 
not  lay  a  finger  on  him,  and  as  for  the  Chief 
of  Police,  he  pours  scorn  on  that  powerful 
official.  He  scouts  the  idea  that  he  is  being 
watched,  and  all-in-all  is  quite  humorous  at 
my  expense,  saying  that  my  state  of  mind  is 
more  fitting  for  a  schoolgirl  than  for  a  stal- 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  155 

wart  man  over  six  feet  in  height.  One  con- 
solation is  that  Jack  now  has  become  as  keen 
for  America  as  I  am.  I  expect  that  the  inter- 
view arranged  for  me  to-morrow  with  a  great 
government  official  will  settle  my  own  busi- 
ness finally  one  way  or  another.  A  while  ago 
I  was  confident  of  success,  but  the  repeated 
delays  have  made  me  less  optimistic  now,  al- 
though the  gentle  courtesy  of  those  in  high 
places  remains  undiminished. 

"  Dear  Miss  Amhurst,  I  cannot  afford  to 
fall  lower  in  your  estimation  than  perhaps  I 
deserve,  so  I  must  say  that  this  fear  which  has 
overcome  me  is  all  on  account  of  my  friend, 
and  not  on  my  own  behalf  at  all.  I  am  per- 
fectly safe  in  Russia,  being  a  British  subject. 
My  cold  and  formal  Cousin  Thaxted  is  a 
member  of  the  British  Embassy  here,  and  my 
cold  and  formal  uncle  is  a  Cabinet  Minister 
in  England,  facts  which  must  be  well  known 
to  these  spy-informed  people  of  St.  Peters- 
burg ;  so  I  am  immune.  The  worst  they  could 
do  would  be  to  order  me  out  of  the  country, 
but  even  that  is  unthinkable.  If  any  one  at- 
tempted to  interfere  with  me,  I  have  only  to 
act  the  hero  of  the  penny  novelette,  draw  my- 
self up  to  my  full  height,  which,  as  you  know, 
is  not  that  of  a  pigmy,  fold  my  arms  across 


156  A  BOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

my  manly  chest,  cry,  '  Ha,  ha !  '  and  sing 
'  Rule  Britannia,'  whereupon  the  villains 
would  wilt  and  withdraw.  But  Jack  has  no 
such  security.  He  is  a  Russian  subject,  and, 
prince  or  commoner,  the  authorities  here 
could  do  what  they  liked  with  him.  I  always 
think  of  things  when  it  is  too  late  to  act.  I 
wish  I  had  urged  Jack  ashore  at  Bar  Harbor, 
and  induced  him  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  United  States.  I  spoke  to  him  about 
that  coming  home  in  the  carriage,  and  to  my 
amazement  he  said  he  wished  he  had  thought 
of  it  himself  at  the  time  we  were  over  there. 

"  But  enough  of  this.  I  daresay  he  is  in 
no  real  danger  after  all.  Nevertheless,  I  shall 
induce  him  to  pack  to-morrow,  and  we  will 
make  for  London  together,  so  my  next  letter 
will  bear  a  British  stamp,  and  I  assure  you 
the  air  of  England  will  taste  good  to  one  be- 
nighted Britisher  whose  name  is  Alan  Drurn- 
mond." 


CHAPTER   X 

CALAMITY   UNSEEN 

THE  habit  of  industry  practised  from  child- 
hood to  maturity  is  not  obliterated  by  an  un- 
expected shower  of  gold.  Dorothy  was  an 
early  oiser,  and  one  morning,  entering  the 
parlor  from  her  room  she  saw,  lying  upon  the 
table,  a  letter  with  a  Russian  stamp,  but  ad- 
dressed in  an  unknown  hand  to  her  friend 
Katherine  Kempt.  She  surmised  that  here 
was  the  first  communication  from  the  Prince, 
and  expected  to  learn  all  about  it  during  the 
luncheon  hour  at  the  latest.  But  the  morning 
and  afternoon  passed,  and  Katherine  made  no 
sign,  which  Dorothy  thought  was  most  un- 
usual. All  that  day  and  the  next  Katherine 
went  about  silent,  sedate  and  serious,  never 
once  quoting  the  humorous  Mr.  Gilbert.  On 
the  third  morning  Dorothy  was  surprised, 
emerging  from  her  room,  to  see  Katherine 
standing  by  the  table,  a  black  book  in  her 
hand.  On  the  table  lay  a  large  package  from 
New  York,  recently  opened,  displaying  a 


158  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

number  of  volumes  in  what  might  be  termed 
serious  binding,  leather  or  cloth,  but  none 
showing  that  high  coloring  which  distin- 
guishes the  output  of  American  fiction. 

"  Good-morning,  Dorothy.  The  early  bird 
is  after  the  worm  of  science. ' '  She  held  forth 
the  volume  in  her  hand.  "  Steele's  '  Four- 
teen-Weeks'  Course  in  Chemistry,'  an  old 
book,  but  fascinatingly  written.  Dorothy," 
she  continued  with  a  sigh,  "  I  want  to  talk 
seriously  with  you." 

"  About  chemistry?  "  asked  Dorothy. 

"  About  men,"  said  Katherine  firmly, 
"  and,  incidentally,  about  women." 

"  An  interesting  subject,  Kate,  but  you've 
got  the  wrong  text-books.  You  should  have 
had  a  parcel  of  novels  instead. ' ' 

Dorothy  seated  herself,  and  Katherine  fol- 
lowed her  example,  Steele's  "  Fourteen- 
Weeks'  Course  "  resting  in  her  lap. 

"  Every  man,"  began  Katherine,  "  should 
have  a  guardian  to  protect  him. ' ' 

"  From  women?  ' 

"  From  all  things  that  are  deceptive,  and 
not  what  they  seem. ' ' 

"  That  sounds  very  sententious,  Kate. 
What  does  it  mean?  ' 

"  It  means  that  man  is  a  simpleton,  easily 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  159 

taken  in.    He  is  too  honest  for  crafty  women, 
who  delude  him  shamelessly." 

"  Whom  have  you  been  deluding,  Kate?  ' 

"  Dorothy,  I  am  a  sneak." 

Dorothy  laughed. 

"  Indeed,  Katherine,  you  are  anything  but 
that.  You  couldn't  do  a  mean  or  ungenerous 
action  if  you  tried  your  best." 

"  You  think,  Dorothy,  I  could  reform?  ' 
she  asked,  breathlessly,  leaning  forward. 

"  Reform?  You  don't  need  to  reform. 
You  are  perfectly  delightful  as  you  are,  and  I 
know  no  man  who  is  worthy  of  you.  That's 
a  woman's  opinion;  one  who  knows  you  well, 
and  there  is  nothing  dishonest  about  the  opin- 
ion, either,  in  spite  of  your  tirade  against  our 


sex.' 


"  Dorothy,  three  days  ago,  be  the  same 
more  or  less,  I  received  a  letter  from  John 
Lament." 

"  Yes,  I  saw  it  on  the  table,  and  surmised 
it  was  from  him." 

"Did  you?  You  were  quite  right.  The 
reading  of  that  letter  has  revolutionized  my 
character.  I  am  a  changed  woman,  Dorothy, 
and  thoroughly  ashamed  of  myself.  When  I 
remember  how  I  have  deluded  that  poor,  cred- 
ulous young  man,  in  making  him  believe  I 


160  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

understood  even  the  fringe  of  what  he  spoke 
about,  it  fills  me  with  grief  at  my  perfidy,  but 
I  am  determined  to  amend  my  ways  if  hard 
study  will  do  it,  and  when  next  I  see  him  I 
shall  talk  to  him  worthily  like  a  female 
Thomas  A.  Edison." 

Again  Dorothy  laughed. 

"  Now,  that's  heartless  of  you,  Dorothy. 
Don't  you  see  I'm  in  deadly  earnest?  Must 
my  former  frivolity  dog  my  steps  through 
life  ?  When  I  call  to  mind  that  I  made  fun  to 
you  of  his  serious  purpose  in  life,  the  thought 
makes  me  cringe  and  despise  myself." 

"  Nonsense,  Kate,  don't  go  to  the  other 
extreme.  I  remember  nothing  you  have  said 
that  needs  withdrawal.  You  have  never  made 
a  malicious  remark  in  your  life,  Kate.  Don't 
make  me  defend  you  against  yourself.  .You 
have  determined,  I  take  it,  to  plunge  into 
the  subjects  which  interest  the  man  you  are 
going  to  marry.  That  is  a  perfectly  laudable 
ambition,  and  I  am  quite  sure  you  will  suc- 
ceed. ' ' 

"  I  know  I  don't  deserve  all  that,  Dorothy, 
but  I  like  it  just  the  same.  I  like  people  to 
believe  in  me,  even  if  I  sometimes  lose  faith 
in  myself.  May  I  read  you  an  extract  from 
his  letter?  " 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  161 

"  Don't  if  you'd  rather  not." 

"  I'd  rather,  Dorothy,  if  it  doesn't  weary 
you,  but  you  will  understand  when  you  have 
heard  it,  in  what  a  new  light  I  regard  myself." 

The  letter  proved  to  be  within  the  leaves  of 
the  late  Mr.  Steele's  book  on  Chemistry,  and 
from  this  volume  she  extracted  it,  pressed  it 
for  a  moment  against  her  breast  with  her 
open  hand,  gazing  across  at  her  friend. 

* '  Dorothy,  my  first  love-letter !  ' 

She  turned  the  crisp,  thin  pages,  and  began : 

"  '  You  may  recollect  that  foot-note  which 
you  marked  with  red  ink  in  the  book  you  so 
kindly  gave  me  on  the  subject  of  Catalysis, 
which  did  not  pertain  to  the  subject  of  the 
volume  in  question,  and  yet  was  so  illumina- 
tive to  any  student  of  chemistry.  They  have 
done  a  great  deal  with  Catalysis  in  Germany 
with  amazing  commercial  results,  but  the 
subject  is  one  so  recent  that  I  had  not  pre- 
viously gone  thoroughly  into  it.' 

Katherine  paused  in  the  reading,  and  looked 
across  at  her  auditor,  an  expression  almost  of 
despair  in  her  eloquent  eyes. 

"  Dorothy,  what  under  heaven  is  Cata- 
lysis? " 

"  Don't  ask  me,"  replied  Dorothy,  sup- 
pressing a  laugh,  struck  by  the  ludicrousness 
11 


162  A  BOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

of  any  young  and  beautiful  woman  pressing 
any  such  sentiments  as  these  to  her  bosom. 

"  Have  you  ever  heard  of  a  Catalytic  pro- 
cess, Dorothy?  "  beseeched  Katherine.  "  It 
is  one  of  the  phrases  he  uses. ' ' 

"  Never;  go  on  with  the  letter,  Kate." 
"  l  I  saw  at  once  that  if  I  could  use  Cata- 
lytic process  which  would  be  instantaneous  in 
its  solidifying  effect  on  my  liquid  limestone, 
instead  of  waiting  upon  slow  evaporation,  I 
could  turn  out  building  stone  faster  than  one 
can  make  brick.  You,  I  am  sure,  with  your 
more  alert  mind,  saw  this  when  you  marked 
that  passage  in  red.' "  "  Oh,  Dorothy,"  almost 
whimpered  Katherine,  leaning  back,  "  how 
can  I  go  on?  Don't  you  see  what  a  sneak  I 
am?  It  was  bad  enough  to  cozen  with  my 
heedless,  random  markings  of  the  book,  but  to 
think  that  line  of  red  ink  might  have  been 
marked  in  his  blood,  for  I  nearly  sent  the 
poor  boy  to  his  death. ' ' 

' '  Go  on,  Katherine,  go  on,  go  on !  ' 
"  '  In  my  search  for  a  Catalytic  whose  sub- 
stance would  remain  unchanged  after  the  re- 
action, I  quite  overlooked  the  chemical  ingre- 
dients of  one  of  the  materials  I  was  dealing 
with,  and  the  result  was  an  explosion  which 
nearly  blew  the  roof  off  the  shop,,  and  quite 


A  KOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  163 

startled  poor  Drummond  out  of  a  year's 
growth.  However,  no  real  harm  has  been 
done,  while  I  have  been  taught  a  valuable  les- 
son; to  take  into  account  all  the  elements  I 
am  using.  I  must  not  become  so  intent  on  the 
subject  I  am  pursuing  as  to  ignore  everything 
else.'  And  now,  Dorothy,  I  want  to  ask  you 
a  most  intimate  question,  which  I  beg  of  you 
to  answer  as  frankly  as  I  have  confided  in 
you." 

"  I  know  what  your  question  is,  Kate.  A 
girl  who  is  engaged  wishes  to  see  her  friend 
in  the  same  position.  You  would  ask  me  if  I 
am  in  love  with  Alan  Drummond,  and  I 
answer  perfectly  frankly  that  I  am  not." 

"  You  are  quite  sure  of  that,  Dorothy?  ' 

"  Quite.  He  is  the  only  man  friend  I  have 
had,  except  my  own  father,  and  I  willingly 
confess  to  a  sisterly  interest  in  him." 

"  Well,  if  that  is  all " 

."It  is  aU,  Kate.  Why?" 

"  Because  there  is  something  about  him  in 
this  letter,  which  I  would  read  to  you  if  I 
thought  you  didn't  care." 

"  Oh,  he  is  in  love  with  Jack's  sister,  very 
likely.  I  should  think  that  would  be  a  most 
appropriate  arrangement.  Jack  is  his  best 
friend,  and  perhaps  a  lover  would  weaken  the 


164  A  EOCK  IN"  THE  BALTIC 

influence  which  Tolstoi  exerts  over  an  emo- 
tional person's  mind.  Lieutenant  Drummond, 
with  his  sanity,  would  probably  rescue  a  rem- 
nant of  her  estates." 

"  Oh,  well,  if  you  can  talk  as  indifferently 
as  that,  you  are  all  right,  Dorothy.  No,  there 
is  no  other  woman  in  the  case.  Here's  what 
Jack  says: 

"  *  It  is  amazing  how  little  an  Englishman 
understands  people  of  other  nations.  Here  is 
my  tall  friend  Drummond  marching  noncha- 
lantly among  dangers  of  which  he  has  not  the 
least  conception.  The  authorities  whom  he 
thinks  so  courteous  are  fooling  him  to  the  top 
of  his  bent.  There  is,  of  course,  no  danger  of 
his  arrest,  but  nevertheless  the  eyes  of  the 
police  are  upon  him,  and  he  will  not  believe 
it,  any  more  than  he  will  believe  he  is  being 
hoodwinked  by  the  Foreign  Minister.  What 
I  fear  is  that  he  will  be  bludgeoned  on  the 
street  some  dark  night,  or  involved  in  a  one- 
sided duel.  Twice  I  have  rescued  him  from 
an  imminent  danger  which  he  has  not  even 
seen.  Once  in  a  restaurant  a  group  of  officers, 
apparently  drunk,  picked  a  quarrel  and  drew 
swords  upon  him.  I  had  the  less  difficulty  in 
getting  him  away  because  he  fears  a  broil,  or 
anything  that  will  call  down  upon  him  the 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  165 

attention  of  Ms  wooden-headed  cousin  in  the 
Embassy.  On  another  occasion  as  we  were 
coming  home  toward  midnight,  a  perfectly 
bogus  brawl  broke  out  suddenly  all  around 
us.  Drummond  was  unarmed,  but  his  huge 
fists  sent  sprawling  two  or  three  of  his  assail- 
ants. I  had  a  revolver,  and  held  the  rest  off, 
and  so  we  escaped.  I  wish  he  was  safely  back 
in  London  again.'  What  do  you  think  of 
that,  Dorothy  I  " 

"  I  think  exactly  what  Mr.  Lamont  thinks. 
Lieutenant  Drummond 's  mission  to  Russia 
seems  to  me  a  journey  of  folly." 

11  After  all,  I  am  glad  you  don't  care,  Dor- 
othy. He  should  pay  attention  to  what  Jack 
says,  for  Jack  knows  Russia,  and  he  doesn't. 
Still,  let  us  hope  he  will  come  safely  out  of 
St.  Petersburg.  And  now,  Dot,  for  breakfast, 
because  I  must  get  to  work." 

Next  morning  Dorothy  saw  a  letter  for  her- 
self on  the  table  in  the  now  familiar  hand- 
writing, and  was  more  relieved  than  perhaps 
she  would  have  confessed  even  to  her  closest 
friend,  when  she  saw  the  twopence-halfpenny 
English  stamp  on  the  envelope.  Yet  its  con- 
tents were  startling  enough,  and  this  letter  she 
did  not  read  to  Katherine  Kempt,  but  bore  its 
anxiety  alone. 


166  A  BOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

DEAR  Miss  AMHDRST: 

I  write  you  in  great  trouble  of  mind,  not  trusting  this 
letter  to  the  Eussian  post-office,  but  sending  it  by  an  Eng- 
lish captain  to  be  posted  in  London.  Two  days  ago  Jack 
Lamont  disappeared;  a  disappearance  as  complete  as  if 
he  had  never  existed.  The  night  before  last,  about  ten 
o'clock,  I  thought  I  heard  him  come  into  his  shop  below 
my  room.  Sometimes  he  works  there  till  daylight,  and 
as,  when  absorbed  in  his  experiments,  he  does  not  relish 
interruptions,  even  from  me,  I  go  on  with  my  reading 
until  he  comes  upstairs.  Toward  eleven  o'clock  I  thought 
I  heard  slight  sounds  of  a  scuffle,  and  a  smothered  cry. 
I  called  out  to  him,  but  received  no  answer.  Taking  a 
candle,  I  went  downstairs,  but  everything  was  exactly  as 
usual,  the  doors  locked,  and  not  even  a  bench  overturned. 
I  called  aloud,  but  only  the  echo  of  this  barn  of  a  room 
replied.  I  lit  the  gas  and  made  a  more  intelligent  search, 
but  with  no  result.  I  unlocked  the  door,  and  stood  out 
in  the  street,  which  was  quite  silent  and  deserted.  I  began 
to  doubt  that  I  had  heard  anything  at  all,  for,  as  I  have 
told  you,  my  nerves  lately  have  been  rather  prone  to  the 
jumps.  I  sat  up  all  night  waiting  for  him,  but  he  did  not 
come.  Next  day  I  went,  as  had  been  previously  arranged, 
to  the  Foreign  Office,  but  was  kept  waiting  in  an  ante- 
room for  two  hours,  and  then  told  that  the  Minister  could 
not  see  me.  I  met  a  similar  repulse  at  the  Admiralty.  I 
dined  alone  at  the  restaurant  Jack  and  I  frequent,  but 
saw  nothing  of  him.  This  morning  he  has  not  returned, 
and  I  am  at  my  wit's  end,  not  in  the  least  knowing  what 
to  do.  It  is  useless  for  me  to  appeal  to  the  Embassy  of 
my  country,  for,  Jack  being  a  Eussian,  it  has  no  juris- 
diction. The  last  letter  I  received  from  you  was  tarn- 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  167 

pered  with.  The  newspaper  extract  you  spoke  of  was  not 
there,  and  one  of  the  sheets  of  the  letter  was  missing. 
Piffling  business,  I  call  it,  this  interfering  with  private 
correspondence. 

Such  was  the  last  letter  that  Alan  Drrim- 
mond  was  ever  to  send  to  Dorothy  Amhurst. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  SNOW 

SUMMER  waned;  the  evenings  became  chill, 
although  the  sun  pretended  at  noon  that  its 
power  was  undiminished.  Back  to  town  from 
mountain  and  sea  shore  filtered  the  warm- 
weather  idlers,  but  no  more  letters  came  from 
St.  Petersburg  to  the  hill  by  the  Hudson.  So 
far  as  our  girls  were  concerned,  a  curtain  of 
silence  had  fallen  between  Europe  and 
America. 

The  flat  was  now  furnished,  and  the  begin- 
ning of  autumn  saw  it  occupied  by  the  two 
friends.  Realization  in  this  instance  lacked 
the  delight  of  anticipation.  At  last  Katherine 
was  the  bachelor  girl  she  had  longed  to  be,  but 
the  pleasures  of  freedom  were  as  Dead  Sea 
fruit  to  the  lips.  At  last  Dorothy  was  effectu- 
ally cut  off  from  all  thoughts  of  slavery,  with 
unlimited  money  to  do  what  she  pleased  with, 
yet  after  all,  of  what  advantage  was  it  in  solv- 
ing the  problem  that  haunted  her  by  day  and 
filled  her  dreams  by  night.  She  faced  the 


A  ROCK  IN   THE   BALTIC  169 

world  with  seeming  unconcern,  for  she  had  not 
the  right  to  mourn,  even  if  she  knew  he  were 
dead.  He  had  made  no  claim;  had  asked  for 
no  affection;  had  written  no  word  to  her  but 
what  all  the  world  might  read.  Once  a  week 
she  made  a  little  journey  up  the  Hudson  to  see 
how  her  church  was  coming  on,  and  at  first 
Katherine  accompanied  her,  but  now  she  went 
alone.  Katherine  was  too  honest  a  girl  to  pre- 
tend an  interest  where  she  felt  none.  She  could 
not  talk  of  architecture  when  she  was  thinking 
of  a  man  and  his  fate.  At  first  she  had  been 
querulously  impatient  when  no  second  com- 
munication came.  Her  own  letters,  she  said, 
must  have  reached  him,  otherwise  they  would 
have  been  returned.  Later,  dumb  fear  took 
possession  of  her,  and  she  grew  silent,  plunged 
with  renewed  energy  into  her  books,  joined  a 
technical  school,  took  lessons,  and  grew  paler 
and  paler  until  her  teachers  warned  her  she 
was  overdoing  it.  Inwardly  she  resented  the 
serene  impassiveness  of  her  friend,  who  con- 
sulted calmly  with  the  architect  upon  occasion 
about  the  decoration  of  the  church,  when 
men's  liberty  was  gone,  and  perhaps  their 
lives.  She  built  up  within  her  mind  a  romance 
of  devotion,  by  which  her  lover,  warning  in 
vain  the  stolid  Englishman,  had  at  last  been 


170  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

involved  in  the  ruin  that  Drunnnond's  stub- 
bornness had  brought  upon  them  both,  and  un- 
justly implicated  the  quiet  woman  by  her  side 
in  the  responsibility  of  this  sacrifice.  Once  or 
twice  she  spoke  with  angry  impatience  of 
Drummond  and  his  stupidity,  but  Dorothy 
neither  defended  nor  excused,  and  so  no  open 
rupture  occurred  between  the  two  friends,  for 
a  quarrel  cannot  be  one-sided. 

But  with  a  woman  of  Katherine's  tempera- 
ment the  final  outburst  had  to  come,  and  it 
came  on  the  day  that  the  first  flurry  of  snow 
fell  through  the  still  air,  capering  in  large 
flakes  past  the  windows  of  the  flat  down  to  the 
muddy  street  far  below.  Katherine  was  stand- 
ing by  the  window,  with  her  forehead  leaning 
against  the  plate  glass,  in  exactly  the  attitude 
that  had  been  her  habit  in  the  sewing-room 
at  Bar  Harbor,  but  now  the  staccato  of  her 
fingers  on  the  sill  seemed  to  drum  a  Dead 
March  of  despair.  The  falling  snow  had 
darkened  the  room,  and  one  electric  light  was 
aglow  over  the  dainty  Chippendale  desk  at 
which  Dorothy  sat  writing  a  letter.  The 
smooth,  regular  flow  of  the  pen  over  the  paper 
roused  Katherine  to  a  frenzy  of  exasperation. 
Suddenly  she  brought  her  clenched  fist  down 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  171 

on  the  sill  where  her  fingers  had  been  drum- 
ming. 

"  My  God,"  she  cried,  "  how  can  you  sit 
there  like  an  automaton  with  the  snow 
falling?  " 

Dorothy  put  down  her  pen. 

"  The  snow  falling?  "  she  echoed.  "  I  don't 
understand!  ' 

"  Of  course  you  don't.  You  don't  think  of 
the  drifts  in  Siberia,  and  the  two  men  you 
have  known,  whose  hands  you  have  claspedr 
manacled,  driven  through  it  with  the  lash  of 
a  Cossack's  whip." 

Dorothy  rose  quietly,  and  put  her  hands  on 
the  shoulders  of  the  girl,  feeling  her  frame 
tremble  underneath  her  touch. 

"  Katherine,"  she  said,  quietly,  but  Kathe- 
rine, with  a  nervous  twitch  of  her  shoulders 
flung  off  the  friendly  grasp. 

"  Don't  touch  me,"  she  cried.  "  Go  back 
to  your  letter-writing.  You  and  the  English- 
man are  exactly  alike;  unfeeling,  heartless. 
He  with  his  selfish  stubbornness  has  involved 
an  innocent  man  in  the  calamity  his  own 
stupidity  has  brought  about." 

"  Katherine,  sit  down.  I  want  to  talk  calmly 
with  you." 

"  Calmly!  Calmly!    Yes,  that  is  the  word. 


172  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

It  is  easy  for  you  to  be  calm  when  you  don't 
care.  But  I  care,  and  I  cannot  be  calm. ' ' 

"  What  do  you  wish  to  do,  Katharine?  ' 

"  What  can  I  do?  I  am  a  pauper  and  a  de- 
pendant, but  one  thing  I  am  determined  to  do, 
and  that  is  to  go  and  live  in  my  father 's  house. ' ' 

"  If  you  were  in  my  place,  what  would  you 
do,  Katherine?  ' 

"  I  would  go  to  Russia." 

"  What  would  you  do  when  you  arrived 
there?  " 

"  If  I  had  wealth  I  would  use  it  in  such  a 
campaign  of  bribery  and  corruption  in  that 
country  of  tyrants  that  I  should  release  two  in- 
nocent men.  I  'd  first  find  out  where  they  were, 
then  I'd  use  all  the  influence  I  possessed  with 
the  American  Ambassador  to  get  them  set  free. ' ' 

"  The  American  Ambassador,  Kate,  cannot 
move  to  release  either  an  Englishman  or  a 
Russian." 

"  I 'd  do  it  somehow.  I  wouldn't  sit  here  like  a 
stick  or  a  stone,writing  letters  to  my  architect. ' ' 

"  Would  you  go  to  Russia  alone?  ' 

"  No,  I  should  take  my  father  with  me." 

"  That  is  an  excellent  idea,  Kate.  I  advise 
you  to  go  north,  by  to-night's  train,  if  you 
like,  and  see  him,  or  telegraph  to  him  to  come 
and  see  us." 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  173 

Kate  sat  down,  and  Dorothy  drew  the  cur- 
tains across  the  window  pane  and  snapped  on 
the  central  cluster  of  electric  lamps. 

"  Will  you  come  with  me  if  I  go  north?  ' 
asked  Kate,  in  a  milder  tone  than  she  had 
hitherto  used. 

"  I  cannot.  I  am  making  an  appointment 
with  a  man  in  this  room  to-morrow.'7 

"  The  architect,  I  suppose,"  cried  Kate 
with  scorn. 

"  No,  with  a  man  who  may  or  may  not  give 
me  information  of  Lamont  or  Drummond. ' ' 

Katherine  stared  at  her  open-eyed. 

"  Then  you  have  been  doing  something?  ' 

"  I  have  been  trying,  but  it  is  difficult  to 
know  what  to  do.  I  have  received  information 
that  the  house  in  which  Mr.  Lamont  and  Mr. 
Drummond  lived  is  now  deserted,  and  no  one 
knows  anything  of  its  former  occupants.  That 
information  comes  to  me  semi-officially,  but  it 
does  not  lead  far.  I  have  started  inquiry 
through  more  questionable  channels ;  in  other 
words,  I  have  invoked  the  aid  of  a  Nihilist 
society,  and  although  I  am  quite  determined 
to  go  to  Russia  with  you,  do  not  be  surprised 
if  I  am  arrested  the  moment  I  set  foot  in  St. 
Petersburg." 

"  Dorothy,  why  did  you  not  let  me  know?  ' 


174  A  ROCK  IN   THE   BALTIC 

"  I  was  anxious  to  get  some  good  news  to 
give  you,  but  it  has  not  come  yet. ' ' 

"  Oh,  Dorothy,"  moaned  Katherine,  strug- 
gling to  keep  back  the  tears  that  would  flow  in 
spite  of  her.  Dorothy  patted  her  on  the 
shoulder. 

"  You  have  been  a  little  unjust,"  she  said, 
"  and  I  am  going  to  prove  that  to  you,  so  that 
in  trying  to  make  amends  you  may  perhaps 
stop  brooding  over  this  crisis  that  faces  two 
poor  lone  women.  You  wrong  the  Englishman, 
as  you  call  him.  Jack  was  arrested  at  least 
two  days  before  he  was.  Nihilist  spies  say  that 
both  of  them  were  arrested,  the  Prince  first, 
and  the  Englishman  several  days  later.  I  had 
a  letter  from  Mr.  Drummond  a  short  time 
after  you  received  yours  from  Mr.  Lamont. 
I  never  showed  it  to  you,  but  now  things  are 
so  bad  that  they  cannot  be  worse,  and  you  are 
at  liberty  to  read  the  letter  if  you  wish  to  do 
so.  It  tells  of  Jack's  disappearance,  and  of 
Drummond 's  agony  of  mind  and  helplessness 
in  St.  Petersburg.  Since  he  has  never  written 
again,  I  am  sure  he  was  arrested  later.  I  don 't 
know  which  of  the  two  was  most  at  fault  for 
what  you  call  stubbornness,  but  I  believe  the 
explosion  had  more  to  do  with  the  arrests  than 
any  action  of  theirs." 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  175 

"  And  I  was  the  cause  of  that,"  wailed 
Katherine. 

"  No,  no,  my  dear  girl.  No  one  is  to  blame 
but  the  tyrant  of  Russia.  Now  the  Nihilists 
insist  that  neither  of  these  men  has  been  sent 
to  Siberia.  They  think  they  are  in  the  prison 
of  '  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul.'  That  informa- 
tion came  to  me  to-day  in  the  letter  I  was  just 
now  answering.  So,  Katherine,  I  think  you 
have  been  unjust  to  the  Englishman.  If  he 
had  been  arrested  first,  there  might  be  some 
grounds  for  what  you  charge,  but  they  evi- 
dently gave  him  a  chance  to  escape.  He  had 
his  warning  in  the  disappearance  of  his  friend, 
and  he  had  several  days  in  which  to  get  out 
of  St.  Petersburg,  but  he  stood  his  ground." 

"I'm  sorry,  Dorothy.  I'm  a  silly  fool,  and 
to-day,  when  I  saw  the  snow — well,  I  got  all 
wrought  up." 

"  I  think  neither  of  the  men  are  in  the 
snow,  and  now  I  am  going  to  say  something 
else,  and  then  never  speak  of  the  subject  again. 
You  say  I  didn't  care,  and  of  course  you  are 
quite  right,  for  I  confessed  to  you  that  I  didn't. 
But  just  imagine — imagine — that  I  cared.  The 
Russian  Government  can  let  the  Prince  go  at 
any  moment,  and  there's  nothing  more  to  be 
said.  He  has  no  redress,  and  must  take  the 


176  A  KOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

consequences  of  his  nationality.  But  if  the 
Russian  Government  have  arrested  the  Eng- 
lishman; if  they  have  put  him  in  the 
prison  of  '  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,'  they  dare 
not  release  him,  unless  they  are  willing  to 
face  war.  The  Russian  Government  can  do 
nothing  in  his  case  but  deny,  demand  proof, 
and  obliterate  all  chance  of  the  truth  ever 
being  known.  Alan  Drummond  is  doomed: 
they  dare  not  release  him.  Now  think  for  a 
moment  how  much  worse  my  case  would  be 
than  yours,  if — if — "  her  voice  quivered  and 
broke  for  the  moment,  then  with  tightly 
clenched  fists  she  recovered  control  of  herself, 
and  finished:  "  if  I  cared." 

11  Oh,  Dorothy,  Dorothy,  Dorothy!  "  gasped 
Katherine,  springing  to  her  feet. 

"  No,  no,  don't  jump  at  any  false  conclu- 
sion. We  are  both  nervous  wrecks  this  after- 
noon. Don't  misunderstand  me.  I  don't  care 
— I  don't  care,  except  that  I  hate  tyranny, 
and  am  sorry  for  the  victims  of  it. ' ' 

"  Dorothy,  Dorothy!  " 

"  We  need  a  sane  man  in  the  house,  Kate. 
Telegraph  for  your  father  to  come  down  and 
talk  to  us  both.  I  must  finish  my  letter  to 
the  Nihilist." 

"  Dorothy!  "  said  Katherine,  kissing  her. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  DREADED  TROGZMONDOFF 

THE  Nihilist  was  shown  into  the  dainty 
drawing  room  of  the  flat,  and  found  Dorothy 
Amhurst  alone,  as  he  had  stipulated,  waiting 
for  him.  He  was  dressed  in  a  sort  of  naval 
uniform  and  held  a  peaked  cap  in  his  hand, 
standing  awkwardly  there  as  one  unused  to 
luxurious  surroundings.  His  face  was  bronzed 
with  exposure  to  sun  and  storm,  and  although 
he  appeared  to  be  little  more  than  thirty  years 
of  age  his  closely  cropped  hair  was  white.  His 
eyes  were  light  blue,  and  if  ever  the  expres- 
sion of  a  man's  countenance  betokened  stal- 
wart honesty,  it  was  the  face  of  this  sailor. 
He  was  not  in  the  least  Dorothy's  idea  of  a 
dangerous  plotter. 

"  Sit  down,"  she  said,  and  he  did  so  like  a 
man  ill  at  ease. 

"  I  suppose  Johnson  is  not  your  real 
name,"  she  began. 

"It  is  the  name  I  bear  in  America, 
Madam." 


178  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  Do  you  mind  my  asking  you  some 
questions?  ' 

"  No,  Madam,  but  if  you  ask  me  anything 
I  am  not  allowed  to  answer  I  shall  not  reply." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  in  the  United 
States?" 

"  Only  a  few  months,  Madam." 

"  How  come  you  to  speak  English  so  well?  ' 

"  In  my  young  days  I  shipped  aboard  a 
bark  plying  between  Helsingfors  and  New 
York." 

"  You  are  a  Russian?  ' 

"  I  am  a  Finlander,  Madam." 

"  Have  you  been  a  sailor  all  your  life?  v 

"  Yes,  Madam.  For  a  time  I  was  an  unim- 
portant officer  on  board  a  battleship  in  the 
Russian  Navy,  until  I  was  discovered  to  be 
a  Nihilist,  when  I  was  cast  into  prison.  I 
escaped  last  May,  and  came  to  New  York." 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  since  you  ar- 
rived here?  ' 

"  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  become  mate  on 
the  turbine  yacht  l  The  Walrus/  owned  by 
Mr.  StockweU." 

"  Oh,  that's  the  multi-millionaire  whose 
bank  failed  a  month  ago  ?  ' 

"  Yes,  Madam." 


A  BOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  179 

"  But  does  he  still  keep  a  yacht?  ' 

"  No,  Madam.  I  think  he  has  never  been 
aboard  this  one,  although  it  is  probably  the 
most  expensive  boat  in  these  waters.  I  am 
told  it  cost  anywhere  from  half  a  million  to 
a  million.  She  was  built  by  Thornycroft,  like 
a  cruiser,  with  Parson's  turbine  engines  in 
her.  After  the  failure,  Captain  and  crew 
were  discharged,  and  I  am  on  board  as  a  sort 
of  watchman  until  she  is  sold,  but  there  is 
not  a  large  market  for  a  boat  like  '  The 
Walrus,'  and  I  am  told  they  will  take  the 
fittings  out  of  her,  and  sell  her  as  a  cruiser  to 
one  of  the  South  American  republics." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Johnson,  you  ought  to  be  a 
reliable  man,  if  the  Court  has  put  you  in 
charge  of  so  valuable  a  property." 

"  I  believe  I  am  considered  honest, 
Madam. ' ' 

"  Then  why  do  you  come  to  me  asking  ten 
thousand  dollars  for  a  letter  which  you  say 
was  written  to  me,  and  which  naturally  be- 
longs to  me?  ' 

The  man's  face  deepened  into  a  mahogany 
brown,  and  he  shifted  his  cap  uneasily  in 
his  hands. 

"  Madam,  I  am  not  acting  for  myself.    I 


180  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

am  Secretary  of  the  Russian  Liberation  So- 
ciety. They,  through  their  branch  at  St. 
Petersburg,  have  conducted  some  investiga- 
tions on  your  behalf. ' ' 

"  Yes,  for  which  I  paid  them  very  well." 

Johnson  bowed. 

"  Our  object,  Madam,  is  the  repression  of 
tyranny.  For  that  we  are  in  continual  need 
of  money.  It  is  the  poor,  and  not  the  million- 
aires, who  subscribe  to  our  fund.  It  has  been 
discovered  that  you  are  a  rich  woman,  who 
will  never  miss  the  money  asked,  and  so  the 
demand  was  made.  Believe  me,  Madam,  I  am 
acting  by  the  command  of  my  comrades.  I 
tried  to  persuade  them  to  leave  compensation 
to  your  own  generosity,  but  they  refused.  If 
you  consider  their  demand  unreasonable,  you 
have  but  to  say  so,  and  I  will  return  and  tell 
them  your  decision." 

"  Have  you  brought  the  letter  with  you?  ' 

"  Yes,  Madam." 

"  Must  I  agree  to  your  terms  before  seeing 
it!" 

"  Yes,  Madam." 

"  Have  you  read  it?  ' 

"  Yes,  Madam." 

"  Do  you  think  it  worth  ten  thousand 
dollars?" 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  181 

The  sailor  looked  up  at  the  decorated  ceil- 
ing for  several  moments  before  he  replied. 

"  That  is  a  question  I  cannot  answer,"  he 
said  at  last.  "  It  all  depends  on  what  you 
think  of  the  writer." 

"  Answer  one  more  question.  By  whom  is- 
the  letter  signed?  " 

"  There  is  no  signature,  Madam.  It  was 
found  in  the  house  where  the  two  young  men 
lived.  Our  people  searched  the  house  from 
top  to  bottom  surreptitiously,  and  they  think 
the  writer  was  arrested  before  he  had  finished 
the  letter.  There  is  no  address,  and  nothing 
to  show  for  whom  it  is  intended,  except  the 
phrase  beginning,  i  My  dearest  Dorothy.' 

The  girl  leaned  back  in  her  chair,  and  drew 
a  long  breath.  "  It  is  not  for  me,"  she  said, 
hastily ;  then  bending  forward,  she  cried  sud- 
denly : 

"  I  agree  to  your  terms:  give  it  to  me." 

The  man  hesitated,  fumbling  in  his  inside 
pocket. 

"  I  was  to  get  your  promise  in  writing," 
he  demurred. 

"  Give  it  to  me,  give  it  to  me,"  she  de- 
manded. "  I  do  not  break  my  word." 

He  handed  her  the  letter. 

"  My  dearest  Dorothy,"  she  read,  in  writ- 


182  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

ing  well  known  to  her.  "  You  may  judge  my 
exalted  state  of  mind  when  you  see  that  I 
dare  venture  on  such  a  beginning.  I  have 
been  worrying  myself  and  other  people  all  to 
no  purpose.  I  have  received  a  letter  from 
Jack  this  morning,  and  so  suspicious  had  I 
grown  that  for  a  few  moments  I  suspected 
the  writing  was  but  an  imitation  of  his.  He  is 
a  very  impulsive  fellow,  and  can  think  of  only 
one  thing  at  a  time,  which  accounts  for  his 
success  in  the  line  of  invention.  He  was  tele- 
graphed to  that  his  sister  was  ill,  and  left  at 
once  to  see  her.  I  had  allowed  my  mind  to  be- 
come so  twisted  by  my  fears  for  his  safety 
that,  as  I  tell  you,  I  suspected  the  letter  to  be 
counterfeit  at  first.  I  telegraphed  to  his  estate, 
and  received  a  prompt  reply  saying  that  his 
sister  was  much  better,  and  that  he  was  al- 
ready on  his  way  back,  and  would  reach  me 
at  eleven  to-night.  So  that's  what  happens 
when  a  grown  man  gets  a  fit  of  nerves.  I 
drew  the  most  gloomy  conclusions  from  the 
fact  that  I  had  been  refused  admission  to  the 
Foreign  Office  and  the  Admiralty.  Yesterday 
that  was  all  explained  away.  The  business  is 
at  last  concluded,  and  I  was  shown  copies  of 
the  letters  which  have  been  forwarded  to  my 
own  chiefs  at  home.  Nothing  could  be  more 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  183 

satisfactory.  To-morrow  Jack  and  I  will  be 
off  to  England  together. 

"  My  dearest  Dorothy  (second  time  of 
asking),  I  am  not  a  rich  man,  but  then,  in 
spite  of  your  little  fortune  of  Bar  Harbor, 
you  are  not  a  rich  woman,  so  we  stand  on  an 
equality  in  that,  even  though  you  are  so  much 
my  superior  in  everything  else.  I  have  five 
hundred  pounds  a  year,  which  is  something 
less  than  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars, 
left  me  by  my  father.  This  is  independent  of 
my  profession.  I  am  very  certain  I  will  suc- 
ceed in  the  Navy  now  that  the  Russian 
Government  has  sent  those  letters,  so,  the  mo- 
ment I  was  assured  of  that,  I  determined  to 
write  and  ask  you  to  be  my  wife.  Will  you 
forgive  my  impatience,  and  pander  to  it  by 
cabling  to  me  at  the  Bluewater  Club,  Pall 
Mall,  the  word  '  Yes  '  or  the  word  *  Unde- 
cided '  ?  I  shall  not  allow  you  the  privilege  of 
cabling  *  No.'  And  please  give  me  a  chance 
of  pleading  my  case  in  person,  if  you  use 
the  longer  word.  Ah,  I  hear  Jack's  step  on 
the  stair.  Very  stealthily  he  is  coming,  to 
surprise  me,  but  I'll  surprise " 

Here  the  writing  ended.  She  folded  the 
letter,  and  placed  it  in  her  desk,  sitting  down 
before  it. 


184  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

"  Shall  I  make  the  check  payable  to  you, 
or  to  the  Society?  ' 

"  To  the  Society,  if  you  please,  Madam." 

"  I  shall  write  it  for  double  the  amount 
asked.  I  also  am  a  believer  in  liberty. ' ' 

"  Oh,  Madam,  that  is  a  generosity  I  feel  we 
do  not  deserve.  I  should  like  to  have  given 
you  the  letter  after  all  you  have  done  for  us 
with  no  conditions  attached." 

"  I  am  quite  sure  of  that,"  said  Dorothy, 
bending  over  her  writing.  She  handed  him  the 
check,  and  he  rose  to  go. 

"  Sit  down  again,  if  you  please.  I  wish  to 
talk  further  with  you.  Your  people  in  St. 
Petersburg  think  my  friends  have  not  been 
sent  to  Siberia  ?  Are  they  sure  of  that  ?  ' 

"  Well,  Madam,  they  have  means  of  know- 
ing those  who  are  transported,  and  they  are 
certain  the  two  young  men  were  not  among 
the  recent  gangs  sent.  They  suppose  them  to 
be  in  the  fortress  of  '  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul ' ; 
at  least  that's  what  they  say." 

"  You  speak  as  if  you  doubted  it." 

"  I  do  doubt  it." 

"They  have  been  sent  to  Siberia  after  all?  ' 

"  Ah,  Madam,  there  are  worse  places  than 
Siberia.  In  Siberia  there  is  a  chance :  in  the 
dreadful  Trogzmondoff:  there  is  none." 


A  ROCK  IN   THE   BALTIC  185 

"  What  is  the  Trogzmondoff  1  " 

"  A  bleak  l  Rock  in  the  Baltic,'  Madam, 
the  prison  in  which  death  is  the  only  goal 
that  releases  the  victim.7' 

Dorothy  rose  trembling,  staring  at  him,  her 
lips  white. 

"  '  A  Rock  in  the  Baltic!  '  Is  that  a  prison, 
and  not  a  fortress,  then?  ' 

"It  is  both  prison  and  fortress,  Madam. 
If  Russia  ever  takes  the  risk  of  arresting  a 
foreigner,  it  is  to  the  Trogzrnondoif  he  is  sent. 
They  drown  the  victims  there;  drown  them 
in  their  cells.  There  is  a  spring  in  the  rock, 
and  through  the  line  of  cells  it  runs  like  a 
beautiful  rivulet,  but  the  pulling  of  a  lever 
outside  stops  the  exit  of  the  water,  and  drowns 
every  prisoner  within.  The  bodies  are  placed 
one  by  one  on  a  smooth,  inclined  shute  of 
polished  sandstone,  down  which  this  rivulet 
runs  so  they  glide  out  into  space,  and  drop 
two  hundred  feet  into  the  Baltic  Sea.  No  mat- 
ter in  what  condition  such  a  body  is  found,  or 
how  recent  may  have  been  the  execution,  it  is 
but  a  drowned  man  in  the  Baltic.  There  are 
no  marks  of  bullet  or  strangulation,  and  the 
currents  bear  them  swiftly  away  from  the 
rock." 

"  How  come  you  to  know  all  this  which 


186  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

seems  to  have  been  concealed  from  the  rest 
of  the  world?" 

"  I  know  it,  Madam,  for  the  best  of  reasons. 
I  was  sentenced  this  very  year  to  Trogzmon- 
doff.  In  my  youth  trading  between  Helsing- 
f ors  and  New  York,  I  took  out  naturalization 
papers  in  New  York,  because  I  was  one  of  the 
crew  on  an  American  ship.  When  they  ille- 
gally impressed  me  at  Helsingf ors  and  forced 
me  to  join  the  Russian  Navy,  I  made  the 
best  of  a  bad  bargain,  and  being  an  expert 
seaman,  was  reasonably  well  treated,  and  pro- 
moted, but  at  last  they  discovered  I  was  in 
correspondence  with  a  Nihilist  circle  in  Lon- 
don, and  when  I  was  arrested,  I  demanded 
the  rights  of  an  American  citizen.  That 
doomed  me.  I  was  sent,  without  trial,  to  the 
Trogzmondoff  in  April  of  this  year.  Arriving 
there  I  was  foolish  enough  to  threaten,  and 
say  my  comrades  had  means  of  letting  the 
United  States  Government  know,  and  that  a 
battleship  would  teach  the  gaolers  of  the  rock 
better  manners. 

"  The  cells  hewn  in  the  rock  are  completely 
dark,  so  I  lost  all  count  of  time.  You  might 
think  we  would  know  night  from  day  by  the 
bringing  in  of  our  meals,  but  such  was  not  the 
case.  The  gaoler  brought  in  a  large  loaf  of 


A  EOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  187 

black  bread,  and  said  it  was  to  serve  me  for 
four  days.  He  placed  the  loaf  on  a  ledge  of 
rock  about  three  feet  from  the  floor,  which 
served  as  both  table  and  bed.  In  excavating 
the  cell  this  ledge  had  been  left  intact,  with  a 
bench  of  stone  rising  from  the  floor  opposite. 
Indeed,  so  ingenious  had  been  the  workmen 
who  hewed  out  this  room  that  they  carved  a 
rounded  stone  pillow  at  one  end  of  the  shelf. 

"  I  do  not  know  how  many  days  I  had  been 
in  prison  when  the  explosion  occurred.  It 
made  the  whole  rock  quiver,  and  I  wondered 
what  had  happened.  Almost  immediately 
afterward  there  seemed  to  be  another  explo- 
sion, not  nearly  so  harsh,  which  I  thought  was 
perhaps  an  echo  of  the  first.  About  an  hour 
later  my  cell  door  was  unlocked,  and  the 
gaoler,  with  another  man  holding  a  lantern, 
came  in.  My  third  loaf  of  black  bread  was 
partly  consumed,  so  I  must  have  been  in  prison 
nine  or  ten  days.  The  gaoler  took  the  loaf  out- 
side, and  when  he  returned  I  asked  him  what 
had  happened.  He  answered  in  a  surly  fash- 
ion that  my  American  warship  had  fired  at 
the  rock,  and  that  the  rock  had  struck  back, 
whereupon  she  sailed  away,  crippled." 

Dorothy,  who  had  been  listening  intently  to 
this  discourse,  here  interrupted  with: 


188  A   EOCK   IN   THE   BALTIC 

"  It  was  an  English  war-ship  that  fired  the 
shell,  and  the  Russian  shot  did  not  come  within 
half  a  mile  of  her." 

The  sailor  stared  at  her  in  wide-eyed  sur- 
prise. 

"  You  see,  I  have  been  making  inquiries," 
she  explained.  "  Please  go  on." 

"  I  never  heard  that  it  was  an  English  ship. 
The  gaoler  sneered  at  me,  and  said  he  was  go- 
ing to  send  me  after  the  American  vessel,  as  I 
suppose  he  thought  it  was.  I  feared  by  his 
taking  away  of  the  bread  that  it  was  intended 
to  starve  me  to  death,  and  was  sorry  I  had  not 
eaten  more  at  my  last  meal.  I  lay  down  on  the 
shelf  of  rock,  and  soon  fell  asleep.  I  was 
awakened  by  the  water  lapping  around  me. 
The  cell  was  intensely  still.  Up  to  this  I  had 
always  enjoyed  the  company  of  a  little  brook 
that  ran  along  the  side  of  the  cell  farthest 
from  the  door.  Its  music  had  now  ceased, 
and  when  I  sprang  up  I  found  myself  to  the 
waist  in  very  cold  water.  I  guessed  at  once  the 
use  of  the  levers  outside  the  cell  in  the  passage 
which  I  had  noticed  in  the  light  of  the  lantern 
on  the  day  I  entered  the  place,  and  I  knew 
now  why  it  was  that  the  prison  door  was  not 
pierced  by  one  of  those  gratings  which  enable 
the  gaoler  in  the  passage  to  look  into  the  cell 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  189 

any  time  of  night  or  day.  Prisoners  have  told 
me  that  the  uncertainty  of  an  inmate  who 
never  knew  when  he  might  be  spied  upon 
added  to  the  horror  of  the  situation,  but  the 
water-tight  doors  of  the  Trogzmondoff  are 
free  from  this  feature,  and  for  a  very  sinister 
reason. 

"  The  channel  in  the  floor  through  which  the 
water  runs  when  the  cell  is  empty,  and  the 
tunnel  at  the  ceiling  through  which  the  water 
flowrs  when  the  cell  is  full,  give  plenty  of  ven- 
tilation, no  matter  how  tightly  the  door  may 
be  closed.  The  water  rose  very  gradually  until 
it  reached  the  top  outlet,  then  its  level  re- 
mained stationary.  I  floated  on  the  top  quite 
easily,  with  as  little  exertion  as  was  necessary 
to  keep  me  in  that  position.  If  I  raised  my 
head,  my  brow  struck  the  ceiling.  The  next 
cell  to  mine,  lower  down,  was  possibly  empty. 
I  heard  the  water  pour  into  it  like  a  little 
cataract.  The  next  cell  above,  and  iiideed  all 
the  cells  in  that  direction  were  flooded  like 
my  own.  Of  course  it  was  no  trouble  for  me 
to  keep  afloat;  my  only  danger  was  that  the 
intense  coldness  of  the  water  would  numb  my 
body  beyond  recovery.  Still,  I  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  hardships  of  that  kind  before  now, 
in  the  frozen  North.  At  last  the  gentle  roar 


190  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

of  the  waterfall  ceased,  and  I  realized  my  cell 
was  emptying  itself.  When  I  reached  my 
shelf  again,  I  stretched  my  limbs  back  and 
forth  as  strenuously  as  I  could,  and  as  si- 
lently, for  I  wished  no  sound  to  give  any  hint 
that  I  was  still  alive,  if,  indeed,  sound  could 
penetrate  to  the  passage,  which  is  unlikely. 
Even  before  the  last  of  the  water  had  run 
away  from  the  cell,  I  lay  stretched  out  at 
full  length  on  the  floor,  hoping  I  might  have 
steadiness  enough  to  remain  death-quiet  when 
the  men  came  in  with  the  lantern.  I  need 
have  had  no  fear.  The  door  was  opened,  one 
of  the  men  picked  me  up  by  the  heels,  and, 
using  my  legs  as  if  they  were  the  shafts  of  a 
wheelbarrow,  dragged  me  down  the  passage 
to  the  place  where  the  stream  emerged  from 
the  last  cell,  and  into  this  torrent  he  flung  me. 
There  was  one  swift,  brief  moment  of  dark- 
ness, then  I  shot,  feet  first,  into  space,  and 
dropped  down,  down,  down  through  the  air 
like  a  plummet,  into  the  arms  of  my  mother. ' ' 

"  Into  what?  "  cried  Dorothy,  white  and 
breathless,  thinking  the  recital  of  these 
agonies  had  turned  the  man's  brain. 

"  The  Baltic,  Madam,  is  the  Finlander's 
mother.  It  feeds  him  in  life,  carries  him 
whither  he  wishes  to  go,  and  every  true  Fin- 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  191 

lander  hopes  to  die  in  her  arms.  The  Baltic 
seemed  almost  warm  after  what  I  had  been 
through,  and  the  taste  of  the  salt  on  my  lips 
was  good.  It  was  a  beautiful  starlight  night 
in  May,  and  I  floated  around  the  rock,  for  I 
knew  that  in  a  cove  on  the  eastern  side,  con- 
cealed from  all  view  of  the  sea,  lay  a  Fin- 
land fishing-boat,  a  craft  that  will  weather 
any  storm,  and  here  in  the  water  was  a  man 
who  knew  how  to  handle  it.  Prisoners  are 
landed  on  the  eastern  side,  and  such  advan- 
tage is  taken  of  the  natural  conformation  of 
this  precipitous  rock,  that  a  man  climbing  the 
steep  zigzag  stairway  which  leads  to  the  in- 
habited portion  is  hidden  from  sight  of  any 
craft  upon  the  water  even  four  or  five  hun- 
dred yards  away.  Nothing  seen  from  the  out- 
side gives  any  token  of  habitation.  The  fish- 
ing-boat, I  suppose,  is  kept  for  cases  of  emer- 
gency, that  the  Governor  may  communicate 
with  the  shore  if  necessary.  I  feared  it  might 
be  moored  so  securely  that  I  could  not  un- 
fasten it.  Security  had  made  them  careless, 
and  the  boat  was  tied  merely  by  lines  to  rings 
in  the  rock,  the  object  being  to  keep  her  from 
bruising  her  sides  against  the  stone,  rather 
than  to  prevent  any  one  taking  her  away.  I 
pushed  her  out  into  the  open,  got  quietly  in- 


192  A  BOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

side,  and  floated  with  the  swift  tide,  not  caring 
to  raise  a  sail  until  I  was  well  out  of  gunshot 
distance.  Once  clear  of  the  rock  I  spread  can- 
vas, and  by  daybreak  was  long  out  of  sight  of 
land.  I  made  for  Stockholm,  and  there  being 
no  mark  or  name  on  the  boat  to  denote  that  it 
belonged  to  the  Russian  Government,  I  had 
little  difficulty  in  selling  it.  I  told  the  au- 
thorities what  was  perfectly  true :  that  I  was 
a  Finland  sailor  escaping  from  the  tyrant  of 
my  country,  and  anxious  to  get  to  America. 
As  such  events  are  happening  practically 
every  week  along  the  Swedish  coast  I  was  not 
interfered  with,  and  got  enough  money  from 
the  sale  of  the  boat  to  enable  me  to  dress  my- 
self well,  and  take  passage  to  England,  and 
from  there  first-class  to  New  York  on  a  regu- 
lar liner. 

' '  Of  course  I  could  have  shipped  as  a  sailor 
from  Stockholm  easy  enough,  but  I  was  tired 
of  being  a  common  sailor,  and  expected,  if  I 
was  respectably  clothed,  to  get  a  better  posi- 
tion than  would  otherwise  be  the  case.  This 
proved  true,  for  crossing  the  ocean  I  became 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Stockwell,  and  he  en- 
gaged me  as  mate  of  his  yacht.  That's  how  I 
escaped  from  the  Trogzmondoff,  Madam,  and 


A  ROCK  IN   THE   BALTIC  193 

I  think  no  one  but  a  Finlander  could  have 
done  it." 

"  I  quite  agree  with  you,"  said  Dorothy. 
"  You  think  these  two  men  I  have  been  mak- 
ing inquiry  about  have  been  sent  to  the  Trogz- 
mondoff?  " 

"  The  Eussian  may  not  be  there,  Madam, 
but  the  Englishman  is  sure  to  be  there." 

"  Is  the  cannon  on  the  western  side  of  the 
rock?" 

"  I  don't  know,  Madam.  I  never  saw  the 
western  side  by  daylight.  I  noticed  nothing 
on  the  eastern  side  as  I  was  climbing  the 
steps,  to  show  that  any  cannon  was  on  the 
Trogzmondoff!  at  all." 

"  I  suppose  you  had  no  opportunity  of 
finding  out  how  many  men  garrison  the 
rock?  " 

"  No,  Madam.  I  don't  think  the  garrison 
is  large.  The  place  is  so  secure  that  it  doesn't 
need  many  men  to  guard  it.  Prisoners  are 
never  taken  out  for  exercise,  and,  as  I  told 
you,  they  are  fed  but  once  in  four  days." 

"  How  large  a  crew  can  '  The  Walrus  ' 
carry?  ' 

"  Oh,  as  many  as  you  like,  Madam.  The 
yacht  is  practically  an  ocean  liner." 


194  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  Is  there  any  landing  stage  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  rock?  " 

"  Practically  none,  Madam.  The  steamer 
stood  out,  and  I  was  landed  in  the  cove  I 
spoke  of  at  the  foot  of  the  stairway." 

"  It  wouldn't  be  possible  to  bring  a  steamer 
like  '  The  Walrus  '  alongside  the  rock,  then  ?  ' 

"  It  would  be  possible  in  calm  weather,  but 
very  dangerous  even  then." 

"  Could  you  find  that  rock  if  you  were  in 
command  of  a  ship  sailing  the  Baltic  1  ' 

"  Oh,  yes,  Madam." 

"  If  twenty  or  thirty  determined  men  were 
landed  on  the  stairway,  do  you  think  they 
could  capture  the  garrison?  ' 

"  Yes,  if  they  were  landed  secretly,  but 
one  or  two  soldiers  at  the  top  with  repeating 
rifles  might  hold  the  stairway  against  an 
army,  while  their  ammunition  lasted." 

' i  But  if  a  shell  were  fired  from  the  steamer, 
might  not  the  attacking  company  get  inside 
during  the'  confusion  among  the  defenders  ?  ' 

"  That  is  possible,  Madam,  but  a  private 
steamer  firing  shells,  or,  indeed,  landing  a 
hostile  company,  runs  danger  of  meeting  the 
fate  of  a  pirate." 

* '  You  would  not  care  to  try  it,  then  ?  ' 

"  I?    Oh,  I  should  be  delighted  to  try  it, 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  195 

if  you  allow  me  to  select  the  crew.  I  can 
easily  get  aboard  the  small  arms  and  ammu- 
nition necessary,  but  I  am  not  so  sure  about 
the  cannon." 

"  Very  good.  I  need  not  warn  you  to  be 
extremely  cautious  regarding  those  you  take 
into  your  confidence.  Meanwhile,  I  wish  you 
to  communicate  with  the  official  who  is  au- 
thorized to  sell  the  yacht.  I  am  expecting  a 
gentleman  to-morrow  in  whose  name  the  ves- 
sel will  probably  be  bought,  and  I  am  hoping 
he  will  accept  the  captaincy  of  it." 

"  Is  he  capable  of  filling  that  position, 
Madam?  Is  he  a  sailor?  ' 

"  He  was  for  many  years  captain  in  the 
United  States  Navy.  I  offer  you  the  position 
of  mate,  but  I  will  give  you  captain's  pay, 
and  a  large  bonus  in  addition  if  you  faithfully 
carry  out  my  plans,  whether  they  prove  suc- 
cessful or  not.  I  wish  you  to  come  here  at  this 
hour  to-morrow,  with  whoever  is  authorized 
to  sell  or  charter  the  steamer.  You  may  say 
I  am  undecided  whether  to  buy  or  charter.  I 
must  consult  Captain  Kempt  on  that  point." 

"  Thank  you,  Madam,  I  shall  be  here  this 
time  to-morrow." 


CHAPTER   XIII 

ENTRAPPED 

PRINCE  IVAN  LERMONTOFF  came  to  consider 
the  explosion  one  of  the  luckiest  things  that 
had  ever  occurred  in  his  workshop.  Its  hap- 
pening so  soon  after  he  reached  St.  Peters- 
burg he  looked  upon  as  particularly  fortu- 
nate, because  this  gave  him  time  to  follow  the 
new  trend  of  thought  along  which  his  mind 
had  been  deflected  by  such  knowledge  as  the 
unexpected  outcome  of  his  experiment  had 
disclosed  to  him.  The  material  he  had  used 
as  a  catalytic  agent  was  a  new  substance 
which  he  had  read  of  in  a  scientific  review, 
and  he  had  purchased  a  small  quantity  of  it 
in  London.  If  such  a  minute  portion  pro- 
duced results  so  tremendous,  he  began  to 
see  that  a  man  with  an  apparently  inno- 
cent material  in  his  waistcoat  pocket  might 
probably  be  able  to  destroy  a  naval  harbor, 
so  long  as  water  and  stone  were  in  conjunc- 
tion. There  was  also  a  possibility  that  a  small 
quantity  of  ozak,  as  the  stuff  was  called, 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  197 

mixed  with  pure  water,  would  form  a  redu- 
cing agent  for  limestone,  and  perhaps  for 
other  minerals,  which  would  work  much 
quicker  than  if  the  liquid  was  merely  impreg- 
nated with  carbonic  acid  gas.  He  endeavored 
to  purchase  some  ozak  from  Mr.  Kruger,  the 
chemist  on  the  English  quay,  but  that  good 
man  had  never  heard  of  it,  and  a  day's  search 
persuaded  him  that  it  could  not  be  got  in  St. 
Petersburg,  so  the  Prince  induced  Kruger  to 
order  half  a  pound  of  it  from  London  or 
Paris,  in  which  latter  city  it  had  been  discov- 
ered. For  the  arrival  of  this  order  the  Prince 
waited  with  such  patience  as  he  could  call  to 
his  command,  and  visited  poor  Mr.  Kruger 
every  day  in  the  hope  of  receiving  it. 

One  afternoon  he  was  delighted  to  hear 
that  the  box  had  come,  although  it  had  not  yet 
been  unpacked. 

"  I  will  send  it  to  your  house  this  evening," 
said  the  chemist.  "  There  are  a  number  of 
drugs  in  the  box  for  your  old  friend  Profes- 
sor Potkin  of  the  University,  and  he  is  even 
more  impatient  for  his  consignment  than  you 
are  for  yours.  Ah,  here  he  is,"  and  as  he 
spoke  the  venerable  Potkin  himself  entered 
the  shop. 

He  shook  hands  warmly  with  Lermontoff, 


198  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

who  had  always  been  a  favorite  pupil  of  his, 
and  learned  with  interest  that  he  had  lately 
been  to  England  and  America. 

"  Cannot  you  dine  with  me  this  evening  at 
half -past  five  I  ' '  asked  the  old  man.  * '  There 
vare  three  or  four  friends  coming,  to  whom  I 
shall  be  glad  to  introduce  you. ' ' 

"  Truth  to  tell,  Professor,"  demurred  the 
Prince,  "  I  have  a  friend  staying  with  me, 
and  I  don't  just  like  to  leave  him  alone." 

"  Bring  him  with  you,  bring  him  with  you," 
said  the  Professor,  "  but  in  any  case  be  sure 
you  come  yourself.  I  shall  be  expecting  you. 
Make  your  excuses  to  your  friend  if  he  does 
not  wish  to  endure  what  he  might  think  dry 
discussion,  because  we  shall  talk  nothing  but 
chemistry  and  politics." 

The  Prince  promised  to  be  there  whether 
his  friend  came  or  no.  The  chemist  here  in- 
terrupted them,  and  told  the  Professor  he 
might  expect  his  materials  within  two  hours. 

"  And  your  package,"  he  said  to  the  Prince, 
"  I  shall  send  about  the  same  time.  I  have 
been  very  busy,  and  can  trust  no  one  to  un- 
pack this  box  but  myself." 

"  You  need  not  trouble  to  send  it,  and  in 
any  case  I  don't  wish  to  run  the  risk  of  hav- 
ing it  delivered  at  a  wrong  address  by  your 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

messenger.  I  cannot  afford  to  wait  so  long 
as  would  be  necessary  to  duplicate  the  order. 
I  am  dining  with  the  Professor  to-night,  so 
will  drive  this  way,  and  take  the  parcel  my- 
self." 

"  Perhaps,"  said  the  chemist,  "  it  would  be 
more  convenient  if  I  sent  your  parcel  to  Pro- 
fessor Potkin's  house?  ' 

"  No,"  said  the  Prince  decisively,  "  I  shall 
call  for  it  about  five  o'clock." 

The  Professor  laughed. 

"  We  experimenters,"  he  said,  "  never  trust 
each  other,"  so  they  shook  hands  and  parted. 

On  returning  to  his  workshop,  Lermontoff 
bounded  up  the  stairs,  and  hailed  his  friend 
the  Lieutenant. 

"  I  say,  Drummond,  I'm  going  to  dine  to- 
night with  Professor  Potkin  of  the  Univer- 
sity, my  old  teacher  in  chemistry.  His  hour 
is  half -past  five,  and  I've  got  an  invitation 
for  you.  There  will  be  several  scientists  pres- 
ent, and  no  women.  Will  you  come?  " 

"  I'd  a  good  deal  rather  not,"  said  the  Eng- 
lishman, "  I'm  wiring  into  these  books,  and 
studying  strategy;  making  plans  for  an  at- 
tack upon  Kronstadt." 

"  Well,  you  take  my  advice,  Alan,  and  don't 
leave  any  of  those  plans  round  where  the  St. 


200  A 

Petersburg  police  will  find  them.  Such  a  line 
of  study  is  carried  on  much  safer  in  London 
than  here.  You'd  be  very  welcome,  Drum- 
mond,  and  the  old  boy  would  be  glad  to  see 
you.  You  don't  need  to  bother  about  evening 
togs — plain  living  and  high  thinking,  you 
know.  I'm  merely  going  to  put  on  a  clean 
collar  and  a  new  tie,  as  sufficient  for  the  oc- 
casion." 

"I'd  rather  not  go,  Jack,  if  you  don't  mind. 
If  I'm  there  you'll  all  be  trying  to  talk  Eng- 
lish or  French,  and  so  I'd  feel  myself  rather 
a  damper  on  the  company.  Besides,  I  don't 
know  anything  about  science,  and  I'm  trying 
to  learn  something  about  strategy.  What 
time  do  you  expect  to  be  back  ?  ' 

"  Rather  early;  ten  or  half -past." 

"  Good,  I'll  wait  up  for  you." 

'At  five  o'clock  Jack  was  at  the  chemist's 
and  received  his  package.  On  opening  it  he 
found  the  ozak  in  two  four-ounce,  glass-stop- 
pered bottles,  and  these  he  put  in  his  pocket. 

"  Will  you  give  me  three  spray  syringes, 
as  large  a  size  as  you  have,  rubber,  glass,  and 
metal.  I'm  not  sure  but  this  stun0  will  attack 
one  or  other  of  them,  and  I  don't  want  to 
spend  the  rest  of  my  life  running  down  to 
your  shop." 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  201 

Getting  the  syringes,  lie  jumped  into  his 
cab,  and  was  driven  to  the  Professor's. 

"  You  may  call  for  me  at  ten,"  he  said  to 
the  cabman. 

There  were  three  others  besides  the  Pro- 
fessor and  himself,  and  they  were  all  inter- 
ested in  learning  the  latest  scientific  news 
from  New  York  and  London. 

It  was  a  quarter  past  ten  when  the  com- 
pany separated.  Lermontoff  stepped  into  his 
cab,  and  the  driver  went  rattling  up  the  street. 
In  all  the  talk  the  Prince  had  said  nothing  of 
his  own  discovery,  and  now  when  he  found 
himself  alone  his  mind  reverted  to  the  ma- 
terial in  his  pocket,  and  he  was  glad  the  cab- 
man was  galloping  his  horse,  that  he  might 
be  the  sooner  in  his  workshop.  Suddenly  he 
noticed  that  they  were  dashing  down  a  street 
which  ended  at  the  river. 

"  I  say,"  he  cried  to  the  driver,  "  you've 
taken  the  wrong  turning.  This  is  a  blind 
street.  There's  neither  quay  nor  bridge  down 
here.  Turnback." 

"  I  see  that  now,"  said  the  driver  over  his 
shoulder.  "  I'll  turn  round  at  the  end  where 
it  is  wider." 

He  did  turn,  but  instead  of  coming  up  the 
street  again,  dashed  through  an  open  arch- 


202  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

way  which  led  into  the  courtyard  of  a  large 
building  fronting  the  Neva.  The  moment  the 
carriage  was  inside,  the  gates  clanged  shut. 

"  Now,  what  in  the  name  of  Saint  Peter  do 
you  mean  by  this?  "  demanded  the  Prince 
angrily. 

The  cabman  made  no  reply,  but  from  a  door 
to  the  right  stepped  a  tall,  uniformed  officer, 
who  said : 

"  Orders,  your  Highness,  orders.  The 
isvoshtchik  is  not  to  blame.  May  I  beg  of 
your  Highness  to  accompany  me  inside  ?  ' 

"  Who  the  devil  are  you?  "  demanded  the 
annoyed  nobleman. 

"  I  am  one  who  is  called  upon  to  perform 
a  disagreeable  duty,  which  your  Highness 
will  make  much  easier  by  paying  attention  to 
my  requests." 

"  Am  I  under  arrest?  ' 
-  "  I  have  not  said  so,  Prince  Ivan." 

"  Then  I  demand  that  the  gates  be  opened 
that  I  may  return  home,  where  more  impor- 
tant business  awaits  me  than  talking  to  a 
stranger  who  refuses  to  reveal  his  identity." 

"  I  hope  you  will  pardon  me,  Prince  Ler- 
montoff.  I  act,  as  the  isvoshtchik  has  acted, 
under  compulsion.  My  identity  is  not  in 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  203 

question.  I  ask  you  for  the  second  time  to 
accompany  me." 

"  Then,  for  the  second  time  I  inquire,  am 
I  under  arrest  ?  If  so,  show  me  your  warrant, 
and  then  I  will  go  with  you,  merely  protesting 
that  whoever  issued  such  a  warrant  has  ex- 
ceeded his  authority." 

"  I  have  seen  nothing  of  a  warrant,  your 
Highness,  and  I  think  you  are  confusing 
your  rights  with  those  pertaining  to  individ- 
uals residing  in  certain  countries  you  have 
recently  visited." 

"  You  have  no  warrant,  then?  ' 

"  I  have  none.  I  act  on  my  superior's 
word,  and  do  not  presume  to  question  it.  May 
I  hope  that  you  will  follow  me  without  a  fur- 
ther parley,  which  is  embarrassing  to  me,  and 
quite  unhelpful  to  yourself.  I  have  been  in- 
structed to  treat  you  with  every  courtesy,  but 
nevertheless  force  has  been  placed  at  my  dis- 
posal. I  am  even  to  take  your  word  of  honor 
that  you  are  unarmed,  and  your  Highness  is 
well  aware  that  such  leniency  is  seldom  shown 
in  St.  Petersburg." 

"  Well,  sir,  even  if  my  word  of  honor  failed 
to  disarm  me,  your  politeness  would.  I  carry 
a  revolver.  Do  you  wish  it?  " 


204  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

"  If  your  Higlmess  will  condescend  to  give 
it  to  me." 

The  Prince  held  the  weapon,  butt  forward, 
to  the  officer,  who  received  it  with  a  gracious 
salutation. 

"  You  know  nothing  of  the  reason  for  this 
action?  ' 

"  Nothing  whatever,  your  Highness." 

"  Where  are  you  going  to  take  me?  ' 

"  A  walk  of  less  than  three  minutes  will 
acquaint  your  Highness  with  the  spot." 

The  Prince  laughed. 

"  Oh,  very  well,"  he  said.  "  May  I  write  a 
note  to  a  friend  who  is  waiting  up  for  me  ?  ' 

"  I  regret,  Highness,  that  no  communica- 
tions whatever  can  be  allowed/' 

The  Prince  stepped  down  from  the  vehicle, 
walked  diagonally  across  a  very  dimly  lighted 
courtyard  with  his  guide,  entered  that  section 
of  the  rectangular  building  which  faced  the 
Neva,  passed  along  a  hall  with  one  gas  jet 
burning,  then  outside  again,  and  immediately 
over  a  gang-plank  that  brought  him  aboard  a 
steamer.  On  the  lower  deck  a  passage  ran 
down  the  center  of  the  ship,  and  along  this 
the  conductor  guided  his  prisoner,  opened  the 
door  of  a  stateroom  in  which  candles  were 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  205 

burning,  and  a  comfortable  bed  turned  down 
for  occupancy. 

"  I  think  your  Highness  will  find  every- 
thing here  that  you  need.  If  anything  fur- 
ther is  required,  the  electric  bell  will  summon 
an  attendant,  who  will  get  it  for  you." 

"  Am  I  not  to  be  confronted  with  whoever 
is  responsible  for  my  arrest  ?  ' 

"  I  know  nothing  of  that,  your  Highness. 
My  duty  ends  by  escorting  you  here.  I  must 
ask  if  you  have  any  other  weapon  upon  you?  ' 

"  No,  I  have  not." 

"  Will  you  give  me  your  parole  that  you 
will  not  attempt  to  escape?  ' 

"  I  shall  escape  if  I  can,  of  course." 

"  Thank  you,  Excellency,"  replied  the  of- 
ficer, as  suavely  as  if  Lermontoff  had  given 
his  parole.  Out  of  the  darkness  he  called  a 
tall,  rough-looking  soldier,  who  carried  a 
musket  with  a  bayonet  at  the  end  of  it.  The 
soldier  took  his  stand  beside  the  door  of  the 
cabin. 

"  Anything  else?  "  asked  the  Prince. 

"  Nothing  else,  your  Highness,  except  good- 
night." 

"  Oh,  by  the  way,  I  forgot  to  pay  my  cab- 
man. Of  course  it  isn't  his  fault  that  he 
brought  me  here." 


206  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  I  shall  have  pleasure  in  sending  him  to 
you,  and  again,  good-night." 

"  Good-night,"  said  the  Prince. 

He  closed  the  door  of  his  cabin,  pulled  out 
his  note-book,  and  rapidly  wrote  two  letters, 
one  of  which  he  addressed  to  Drummond  and 
the  other  to  the  Czar.  When  the  cabman 
came  he  took  him  within  the  cabin  and  closed 
the  door. 

"  Here,"  he  said  in  a  loud  voice  that  the 
sentry  could  overhear  if  he  liked,  "  how  much 
do  I  owe  you  ?  ' 

The  driver  told  him. 

"  That's  too  much,  you  scoundrel,"  he  cried 
aloud,  but  as  he  did  so  he  placed  three  gold 
pieces  in  the  palm  of  the  driver's  hand  to- 
gether with  the  two  letters,  and  whispered : 

"  Get  these  delivered  safely,  and  I'll  give 
you  ten  times  this  money  if  you  call  on  Prince 
Lermontoff  at  the  address  on  that  note." 

The  man  saluted,  thanked  him,  and  retired ; 
a  moment  later  he  heard  the  jingle  of  a  bell, 
and  then  the  steady  throb  of  an  engine.  There 
was  no  window  to  the  stateroom,  and  he  could 
not  tell  whether  the  steamer  was  going  up  or 
down  the  river.  Up,  he  surmised,  and  he  sus- 
pected his  destination  was  Schlusselburg,  the 
fortress-prison  on  an  island  at  the  source  of 


A  KOCK  IN"  THE  BALTIC  207 

the  Neva.  He  determined  to  go  on  deck  and 
solve  the  question  of  direction,  but  the  soldier 
at  the  door  brought  down  his  gun  and  barred 
the  passage. 

"  I  am  surely  allowed  to  go  on  deck?  ' 
"  You  canot  pass  without  an  order  from  the 
captain." 

"  Well,  send  the  captain  to  me,  then." 
"  I  dare  not  leave  the  door,"  said  the  sol- 
dier. 

Lermontoff  pressed  the  button,  and  pres- 
ently an  attendant  came  to  learn  what  was 
wanted. 

"  Will  you  ask  the  captain  to  come  here?  ' 
The  steward  departed,  and  shortly  after  re- 
turned with   a  big,  bronzed,   bearded  man, 
whose  bulk  made  the  stateroom  seem  small. 
"  You  sent  for  the  captain,  and  I  am  here." 
"  So  am  I,"  said  the  Prince  jauntily.    "  My 
name  is  Lermontoff.    Perhaps  you  have  heard 
of  me?" 

The  captain  shook  his  shaggy  head. 
"  I  am  a  Prince  of  Russia,  and  by  some  mis- 
take find  myself  your  passenger  instead  of 
spending  the  night  in  my  own  house.    Where 
are  you  taking  me,  Captain  ?  ' 

"  It  is  forbidden  that  I  should  answer  ques- 
tions." 


208  A  ROCK   IN   THE   BALTIC 

"  Is  it  also  forbidden  that  I  should  go  on 
deck?  " 

"  The  General  said  you  were  not  to  be  al- 
lowed to  leave  this  stateroom,  as  you  did  not 
give  your  parole. ' ' 

"  How  can  I  escape  from  a  steamer  in  mo- 
tion, Captain?  ' 

"  It  is  easy  to  jump  into  the  river,  and  per- 
haps swim  ashore." 

"  So  he  is  a  general,  is  he?  Well,  Captain, 
I'll  give  you  my  parole  that  I  shall  not  at- 
tempt to  swim  the  Neva  on  so  cold  a  night 
as  this." 

"  I  cannot  allow  you  on  deck  now,"  said 
the  Captain,  "  but  when  we  are  in  the  Gulf  of 
Finland  you  may  walk  the  deck  with  the  sen- 
try beside  you." 

"  The  Gulf  of  Finland!  "  cried  Lermontoff. 
* i  Then  you  are  going  down  the  river  ?  ' 

The  big  Captain  looked  at  him  with  deep 
displeasure  clouding  his  brow,  feeling  that  he 
had  been  led  to  give  away  information  which 
he  should  have  kept  to  himself. 

"  You  are  not  going  up  to  Schlusselburg, 
then?  " 

"  I  told  your  Highness  that  I  am  not  al- 
lowed to  answer  questions.  The  General, 
however,  has  given  me  a  letter  for  you,  and 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  209 

perhaps  it  may  contain  all  you  may  want  to 
know." 

"  The  General  has  given  you  a  letter,  eh? 
Then  why  don't  you  let  me  have  it?  ' 

"  He  told  me  not  to  disturb  you  to-night, 
but  place  it  before  you  at  breakfast  to- 
morrow. ' ' 

11  Oh,  we're  going  to  travel  all  night,  are 
we?" 

"  Yes,  Excellency." 

"  Did  the  General  say  you  should  not  allow 
me  to  see  the  letter  to-night  ?  ' 

"  No,  your  Excellency ;  he  just  said,  '  Do  not 
trouble  his  Highness  to-night,  but  give  him 
this  in  the  morning. ' 

"  In  that  case  let  me  have  it  now." 

The  Captain  pulled  a  letter  from  his  pocket 
and  presented  it  to  the  Prince.  It  contained 
merely  the  two  notes  which  Lermontoff:  had 
written  to  Drummond  and  to  the  Czar. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

A  VOYAGE  INTO  THE  UNKNOWN 

AFTER  the  Captain  left  him,  Lermontoff 
closed  and  bolted  the  door,  then  sat  down 
upon  the  edge  of  his  bed  to  meditate  upon  the 
situation.  He  heard  distant  bells  ringing  on 
shore  somewhere,  and  looking  at  his  watch 
saw  it  was  just  eleven  o'clock.  It  seemed  in- 
credible that  three-quarters  of  an  hour  pre- 
viously he  had  left  the  hospitable  doors  of  a 
friend,  and  now  was  churning  his  way  in  an 
unknown  steamer  to  an  unknown  destination. 
It  appeared  impossible  that  so  much  could 
have  happened  in  forty-five  minutes.  He 
wondered  what  Drummond  was  doing,  and 
what  action  he  would  take  when  he  found  his 
friend  missing. 

However,  pondering  over  the  matter 
brought  no  solution  of  the  mystery,  so,  being 
a  practical  young  man,  he  cast  the  subject 
from  his  mind,  picked  up  his  heavy  overcoat, 
which  he  had  flung  on  the  bed,  and  hung  it 
up  on  the  hook  attached  to  the  door.  As  he 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  211 

did  this  his  hand  came  in  contact  with  a  tube 
in  one  of  the  pockets,  and  for  a  moment  he 
imagined  it  was  his  revolver,  but  he  found  it 
was  the  metal  syringe  he  had  purchased  that 
evening  from  the  chemist.  This  set  his 
thoughts  whirling  in  another  direction.  He 
took  from  an  inside  pocket  one  of  the  bottles 
of  ozak,  examining  it  under  the  candle  light, 
wishing  he  had  a  piece  of  rock  with  which  to 
experiment.  Then  with  a  yawn  he  replaced 
the  materials  in  his  overcoat  pocket,  took  off 
his  boots,  and  threw  himself  on  the  bed, 
thankful  it  was  not  an  ordinary  shelf  bunk, 
but  a  generous  and  comfortable  resting-place. 
Now  Katherine  appeared  before  his  closed 
eyes,  and  hand  in  hand  they  wandered  into 
dreamland  together. 

When  he  awoke  it  was  pitch  dark  in  his 
cabin.  The  candles,  which  he  had  neglected 
to  extinguish,  had  burned  themselves  out. 
The  short,  jerky  motion  of  the  steamer  in- 
dicated that  he  was  aboard  a  small  vessel,  and 
that  this  small  vessel  was  out  in  the  open  sea. 
He  believed  that  a  noise  of  some  kind  had 
awakened  him,  and  this  was  confirmed  by  a 
knock  at  his  door  which  caused  him  to  spring 
up  and  throw  back  the  bolt.  The  steward  was 
there,  but  in  the  dim  light  of  the  passage  he 


212  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

saw  nothing  of  the  sentinel.  He  knew  it  was 
daylight  outside. 

"  The  Captain,  Excellency,  wishes  to  know 
if  you  will  breakfast  with  him  or  take  your 
meal  in  your  room?  ' 

"  Present  my  compliments  to  the  Captain, 
and  say  I  shall  have  great  pleasure  in  break- 
fasting with  him." 

"  It  will  be  ready  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
Excellency." 

"  Very  good.  Come  for  me  at  that  time, 
as  I  don't  know  my  way  about  the  boat." 

The  Prince  washed  himself,  smoothed  out 
his  rumpled  clothes  as  well  as  he  could,  and 
put  on  his  boots.  While  engaged  in  the  latter 
operation  the  door  opened,  and  the  big  Cap- 
tain himself  entered,  inclosed  in  glistening 
oilskins. 

"  Hyvaa  pyvaa,  Highness,"  said  the  Cap- 
tain. l  i  Will  you  walk  the  deck  before  break- 
fast? " 

"  Good-day  to  you,"  returned  the  Prince, 
"  and  by  your  salutation  I  take  you  to  be  a 
Finn." 

"  I  am  a  native  of  Abo,"  replied  the  Cap- 
tain, "  and  as  you  say,  a  Finn,  but  I  differ 
from  many  of  my  countrymen,  as  I  am  a 
good  Russian  also." 


A  ROCK  IN   THE.  BALTIC  213 

"  Well,  there  are  not  too  many  good  Rus- 
sians, and  here  is  one  who  would  rather  have 
heard  that  you  were  a  good  Finn  solely." 

"  It  is  to  prevent  any  mistake,"  replied  the 
Captain,  almost  roughly,  "  that  I  mention  I 
am  a  good  Russian." 

"  Right  you  are,  Captain,  and  as  I  am  a 
good  Russian  also,  perhaps  good  Russian 
Number  One  can  tell  me  to  what  part  of  the 
world  he  is  conveying  good  Russian  Number 
Two,  a  man  guiltless  of  any  crime,  and  un- 
willing, at  this  moment,  to  take  an  enforced 
journey." 

"  We  may  both  be  good,  but  the  day  is  not, 
Highness.  It  has  been  raining  during  the 
night,  and  is  still  drizzling.  I  advise  you  to 
put  on  your  overcoat." 

"  Thanks,  Captain,  I  will." 

The  Captain  in  most  friendly  manner  took 
the  overcoat  from  its  hook,  shook  it  out,  and 
held  it  ready  to  embrace  its  owner.  Lermon- 
toff  shoved  right  arm,  then  left,  into  the 
sleeves,  hunched  the  coat  up  into  place,  and 
buttoned  it  at  the  throat. 

"  Again,  Captain,  my  thanks.  Lead  the 
way  and  I  will  follow." 

They  emerged  on  deck  into  a  dismal  gray 
morning.  No  land  or  craft  of  any  kind  was 


214  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

in  sight.  The  horizon  formed  a  small,  close 
circle  round  the  ship.  Clouds  hung  low,  run- 
ning before  the  wind,  and  bringing  intermit- 
tently little  dashes  of  rain  that  seemed  still 
further  to  compress  the  walls  of  horizon. 
The  sea  was  not  what  could  be  called  rough, 
but  merely  choppy  and  fretful,  with  short 
waves  that  would  not  have  troubled  a  larger 
craft.  The  steamer  proved  to  be  a  small,  un- 
distinguished dingy-looking  boat,  more  like  a 
commercial  tramp  than  a  government  vessel. 
An  officer,  apparently  the  mate,  stood  on  the 
bridge,  sinewy  hands  grasping  the  rail,  peer- 
ing ahead  into  the  white  mist  that  was  almost 
a  fog.  The  promenade  deck  afforded  no  great 
scope  for  pedestrianism,  but  Captain  and 
prisoner  walked  back  and  forth  over  the  re- 
stricted space,  talking  genially  together  as  if 
they  were  old  friends.  Nevertheless  there 
was  a  certain  cautious  guardedness  in  the 
Captain's  speech;  the  wary  craft  of  an  un- 
ready man  who  is  in  the  presence  of  a  person 
more  subtle  than  himself.  The  bluff  Captain 
remembered  he  had  been  caught  napping  the 
night  before,  when,  after  refusing  to  tell  the 
Prince  the  direction  of  the  steamer,  he  had 
given  himself  away  by  mentioning  the  Gulf 
of  Finland.  Lermontoff:  noticed  this  reluct- 


A  KOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  215 

ance  to  plunge  into  the  abyss  of  free  conver- 
sation, and  so,  instead  of  reassuring  him  he 
would  ask  no  more  questions,  he  merely  took 
upon  his  own  shoulders  the  burden  of  the 
talk,  and  related  to  the  Captain  certain  won- 
ders of  London  and  New  York. 

The  steward  advanced  respectfully  to  the 
Captain,  and  announced  breakfast  ready, 
whereupon  the  two  men  followed  him  into  a 
saloon  not  much  larger  than  the  stateroom 
Lermontoff:  had  occupied  the  night  before, 
and  not  nearly  so  comfortably  furnished.  A 
plenteous  breakfast  was  supplied,  consisting 
principally  of  fish,  steaming  potatoes,  black 
bread,  and  very  strong  tea.  The  Captain 
swallowed  cup  after  cup  of  this  scalding  bev- 
erage, and  it  seemed  to  make  him  more  and 
more  genial  as  if  it  had  been  wine.  Indeed, 
as  time  went  on  he  forgot  that  it  was  a  pris- 
oner who  sat  before  him,  for  quite  innocently 
he  said  to  the  steward  who  waited  on  them : 

"  Have  the  poor  devils  below  had  anything 
to  eat?" 

"  No  orders,  sir,"  replied  the  steward. 

"  Oh,  well,  give  them  something — some- 
thing hot.  It  may  be  their  last  meal,"  then 
turning,  he  met  the  gaze  of  the  Prince,  de- 


216  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

manded  roughly  another  cup  of  tea,  and  ex- 
plained : 

"  Three  of  the  crew  took  too  much  vodka  in 
St.  Petersburg  yesterday." 

The  Prince  nodded  carelessly,  as  if  he  be- 
lieved, and  offered  his  open  cigarette  case  to 
the  Captain,  who  shook  his  head. 

"  I  smoke  a  pipe,"  he  growled. 

The  Captain  rose  with  his  lighted  pipe,  and 
together  they  went  up  on  deck  again.  The 
Prince  saw  nothing  more  of  the  tall  sentinel 
who  had  been  his  guard  the  night  before,  so 
without  asking  permission  he  took  it  for 
granted  that  his  movements,  now  they  were 
in  the  open  sea,  were  unrestricted,  therefore 
he  walked  up  and  down  the  deck  smoking 
cigarettes.  At  the  stroke  of  a  bell  the  Cap- 
tain mounted  the  bridge  and  the  mate  came 
down. 

Suddenly  out  of  the  thickness  ahead  loomed 
up  a  great  black  British  freighter  making  for 
St.  Petersburg,  as  the  Prince  supposed.  The 
two  steamers,  big  and  little,  were  so  close  that 
each  was  compelled  to  sheer  off  a  bit ;  then  the 
Captain  turned  on  the  bridge  and  seemed  for 
a  moment  uncertain  what  to  do  with  his  pris- 
oner. A  number  of  men  were  leaning  over 
the  bulwarks  of  the  British  ship,  and  it  would 


A   ROCK   IN   THE   BALTIC  217 

have  been  quite  possible  for  the  person  on 
one  boat  to  give  a  message  to  those  on  the 
other.  The  Prince,  understanding  the  Cap- 
tain's quandary,  looked  up  at  him  and  smiled, 
but  made  no  attempt  to  take  advantage  of  his 
predicament.  Some  one  on  board  the  Eng- 
lish ship  shouted  and  fluttered  a  handker- 
chief, whereupon  the  Prince  waved  his  cigar- 
ette in  the  air,  and  the  big  boat  disappeared 
in  the  thickness  of  the  east. 

Lermontoff  walked  the  deck,  thinking  very 
seriously  about  his  situation,  and  wondering 
where  they  intended  to  take  him.  If  he  were 
to  be  put  in  prison,  it  must  be  in  some  place 
of  detention  on  the  coast  of  Finland,  which 
seemed  strange,  because  he  understood  that 
the  fortresses  there  were  already  filled  with 
dissatisfied  inhabitants  of  that  disaffected 
land.  His  first  impression  had  been  that  ban- 
ishment was  intended,  and  he  had  expected 
to  be  landed  at  some  Swedish  or  German  port, 
but  a  chance  remark  made  by  the  Captain  at 
breakfast  inclined  him  to  believe  that  there 
were  other  prisoners  on  board  not  quite  so 
favorably  treated  as  himself.  But  why  should 
he  be  sent  out  of  Russia  proper,  or  even  re- 
moved from  St.  Petersburg,  which,  he  was 
well  aware,  suffered  from  no  lack  of  gaols. 


218  A  ROCK   IN   THE   BALTIC 

The  continued  voyage  of  the  steamer  through 
an  open  sea  again  aroused  the  hope  that  Stock- 
holm was  the  objective  point.  If  they  landed 
him  there  it  merely  meant  a  little  temporary 
inconvenience,  and,  once  ashore,  he  hoped  to 
concoct  a  telegram  so  apparently  innocent 
that  it  would  win  through  to  his  friend,  and 
give  Drummond  at  least  the  knowledge  of  his 
abiding-place.  The  thought  of  Drummond 
aroused  all  his  old  fear  that  the  Englishman 
was  to  be  the  real  victim,  and  this  enforced 
voyage  was  merely  a  convenient  method  of 
getting  himself  out  of  the  way. 

After  lunch  a  dismal  drizzle  set  in  that 
presently  increased  to  a  steady  downpour, 
which  drove  Lermontoff  to  his  cabin,  and  that 
room  being  unprovided  with  either  window 
or  electric  light,  the  Prince  struck  a  match 
to  one  of  the  candles  newly  placed  on  the 
washstand.  He  pushed  the  electric  button 
summoning  the  steward,  and,  giving  him  some 
money,  asked  if  there  was  such  a  thing  as  a 
piece  of  stone  on  board,  carried  as  ballast,  or 
for  any  other  reason.  The  steward  said  he 
would  inquire,  and  finally  returned  with  a 
sharpening  stone  used  for  the  knives  in  the 
galley.  Bolting  his  door,  Lermontoff:  began 
an  experiment,  and  at  once  forgot  he  was  a 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  219 

prisoner.  He  filled  the  wash-basin  with 
water,  and  opening  one  of  the  glass-stop- 
pered bottles,  took  out  with  the  point  of  his 
knife  a  most  minute  portion  of  the  substance 
within,  which  he  dissolved  in  the  water  with 
no  apparent  effect.  Standing  the  whetstone 
up  on  end,  he  filled  the  glass  syringe,  and 
directed  a  fine,  vaporous  spray  against  the 
stone.  It  dissolved  before  his  eyes  as  a  sand 
castle  on  the  shore  dissolves  at  the  touch  of 
an  incoming  tide. 

"  By  St.  Peter  of  Russia!  "  he  cried,  "  I've 
got  it  *at  last!  I  must  write  to  Katherine 
about  this." 

Summoning  the  steward  again  to  take 
away  this  fluid,  and  bring  him  another  pail- 
ful of  fresh  water,  Lermontoff  endeavored 
to  extract  some  information  from  the  defer- 
ential young  man. 

"  Have  you  ever  been  in  Stockholm?  ' 

"  No,  Excellency." 

11  Or  in  any  of  the  German  ports?  ' 

"  No,  Excellency." 

"  Do  you  know  where  we  are  making  for 
now?  " 

"  No,  Excellency." 

"  Nor  when  we  shall  reach  our  destina- 
tion? " 


220  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  No,  Excellency." 

"  You  have  some  prisoners  aboard?  '' 

«  Three  drunken  sailors,  Excellency." 

"  Yes,  that's  what  the  Captain  said.  But 
if  it  meant  death  for  a  sailor  to  be  drunk,  the 
commerce  of  the  world  would  speedily  stop." 

"  This  is  a  government  steamer,  Excel- 
lency, and  if  a  sailor  here  disobeys  orders  he 
is  guilty  of  mutiny.  On  a  merchant  vessel 
they  would  merely  put  him  in  irons." 

"  I  see.  Now  do  you  want  to  earn  a  few 
gold  pieces?  ' 

"  Excellency  has  been  very  generous  to  me 
already,"  was  the  non-committal  reply  of  the 
steward,  whose  eyes  nevertheless  twinkled  at 
the  mention  of  gold. 

"  Well,  here's  enough  to  make  a  jingle  in 
your  pocket,  and  here  are  two  letters  which 
you  are  to  try  to  get  delivered  when  you  re- 
turn to  St.  Petersburg." 

"  Yes,  Excellency." 

"  You  will  do  your  best?  ' 

"  Yes,  Excellency." 

"  Well,  if  you  succeed,  I'll  make  your  for- 
tune when  I'm  released." 

"  Thank  you,  Excellency." 

That  night  at  dinner  the  Captain  opened  a 
bottle  of  vodka,  and  conversed  genially  on 


A  ROCK  EST   THE   BALTIC  221 

many  topics,  without  touching  upon  the  par- 
ticular subject  of  liberty.  He  partook  spar- 
ingly of  the  stimulant,  and,  to  LermontofTs 
disappointment,  it  did  not  in  the  least  loosen 
his  tongue,  and  thus,  still  ignorant  of  his  fate, 
the  Prince  turned  in  for  the  second  night 
aboard  the  steamer. 

When  he  awoke  next  morning  he  found  the 
engines  had  stopped,  and,  as  the  vessel  was 
motionless,  surmised  it  had  reached  harbor. 
He  heard  the  intermittent  chuck-chuck  of  a 
pony  engine,  and  the  screech  of  an  imper- 
fectly-oiled crane,  and  guessed  that  cargo  was 
being  put  ashore. 

"  Now,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  if  my  former 
sentinel  is  at  the  door  they  are  going  to  take 
me  to  prison.  If  he  is  absent,  I  am  to  be  set 
free." 

He  jumped  up,  threw  back  the  bolt,  opened 
the  door.  There  was  no  one  there.  In  a  very 
few  minutes  he  was  on  deck,  and  found  that 
the  steamer  was  lying  in  the  lee  of  a  huge 
rock,  which  reminded  him  of  Mont  St.  Michel 
in  Normandy,  except  that  it  was  about  half 
again  as  high,  and  three  times  as  long,  and 
that  there  were  no  buildings  of  any  kind  upon 
it,  nor,  indeed,  the  least  sign  of  human  habi- 
tation. 


222  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

The  morning  was  fine;  in  the  east  the  sun 
had  just  risen,  and  was  flooding  the  grim 
rock  with  a  rosy  light.  Except  this  rock,  no 
trace  of  land  was  visible  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  see.  Alongside  the  steamer  was  moored 
a  sailing-boat  with  two  masts,  but  provided 
also  with  thole-pins,  and  sweeps  for  rowing. 
The  sails  were  furled,  and  she  had  evidently 
been  brought  to  the  steamer's  side  by  means 
of  the  oars.  Into  this  craft  the  crane  was 
lowering  boxes,  bags,  and  what-not,  which 
three  or  four  men  were  stowing  away.  The 
mate  was  superintending  this  transshipment, 
and  the  Captain,  standing  with  his  back 
against  the  deck-house,  was  handing  one  by 
one  certain  papers,  which  Lermontoff  took 
to  be  bills  of  lading,  to  a  young  man  who 
signed  in  a  book  for  each  he  received.  When 
this  transaction  was  completed,  the  young 
man  saluted  the  Captain,  and  descended  over 
the  ship's  side  to  the  sail-boat. 

"  Good  morning,  Captain.  At  anchor,  I 
see,"  said  Lermoiitoff. 

"  No,  not  at  anchor.  Merely  lying  here. 
The  sea  is  too  deep,  and  affords  no  anchorage 
at  this  point." 

"  Where  are  all  these  goods  going?  ' 

The  Captain  nodded  his  head  at  the  rock, 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  223 

and  Lermontoff:  gazed  at  it  again,  running 
his  eyes  from  top  to  bottom  without  seeing 
any  vestige  of  civilization. 

"  Then  you  lie  to  the  lee  of  this  rock,  and 
the  small  boat  takes  the  supplies  ashore?  ' 

"  Exactly,"  said  the  Captain. 

"  The  settlement,  I  take  it,  is  on  the  other 
side.  What  is  it — a  lighthouse  ?  ' 

"  There's  no  lighthouse,"  said  the  Captain. 

"  Sort  of  coastguard,  then?  ' 

"  Yes,  in  a  way.  They  keep  a  lookout. 
And  now,  Highness,  I  see  your  overcoat  is 
on  your  back.  Have  you  left  anything  in 
your  room  ?  ' 

The  Prince  laughed. 

"  No,  Captain,  I  forgot  to  bring  a  portman- 
teau with  me. ' ' 

"  Then  I  must  say  farewell  to  you  here." 

"  What,  you  are  not  going  to  maroon  me 
on  this  pebble  in  the  ocean  ?  ' 

"  You  will  be  well  taken  care  of,  High- 


ness.' 


"  What  place  is  this?  ' 

"  It  is  called  the  Trogzmondoff,  Highness, 
and  the  water  surrounding  you  is  the  Baltic. ' ' 

"  Is  it  Russian  territory?  ' 

"  Very,  very  Eussian,"  returned  the  Cap- 
tain drawing  a  deep  breath.  "  This  way,  if 


224  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

your  Highness  pleases.  There  is  a  rope  lad- 
der, which  is  sometimes  a  little  unsteady  for 
a  landsman,  so  be  careful." 

"  Oh,  I'm  accustomed  to  rope  ladders. 
Hyvasti,  Captain." 

"  Hyvasti,  your  Highness." 

And  with  this  mutual  good-by  in  Finnish, 
the  Prince  went  down  the  swaying  ladder. 


CHAPTER   XY 

"  A  HOME  ON  THE  ROLLING  DEEP  ' 

FOR  once  the  humorous  expression  had 
vanished  from  Captain  Kempt 's  face,  and 
that  good-natured  man  sat  in  the  dainty 
drawing-room  of  the  flat  a  picture  of  per- 
plexity. Dorothy  had  told  him  the  story  of 
the  Nihilist,  saying  she  intended  to  purchase 
the  yacht,  and  outlining  what  she  proposed 
to  do  with  it  when  it  was  her  own.  Now  she 
sat  silent  opposite  the  genial  Captain,  while 
Katherine  stood  by  the  window,  and  talked 
enough  for  two,  sometimes  waxing  indignant, 
and  occasionally  giving,  in  terse  language,  an 
opinion  of  her  father,  as  is  the  blessed  privi- 
lege of  every  girl  born  in  the  land  of  the  free, 
while  the  father  took  the  censure  with  the  un- 
protesting  mildness  of  his  nature. 

"  My  dear  girls,  you  really  must  listen  to 
reason.  What  you  propose  to  do  is  so  absurd 
that  it  doesn't  even  admit  of  argument. 
Why,  it's  a  filibustering  expedition,  that's 
what  it  is.  You  girls  are  as  crazy  as  Walker 

15 


223  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

of  Nicaragua.  Do  you  imagine  that  a  retired 
Captain  of  the  United  States  Navy  is  going 
to  take  command  of  a  pirate  craft  of  far  less 
legal  standing  than  the  '  Alabama,'  for  then 
we  were  at  war,  but  now  we  are  at  peace.  Do 
you  actually  propose  to  attack  the  domain  of 
a  friendly  country!  Oh!  "  cried  the  Captain, 
with  a  mighty  explosion  of  breath,  for  at  this 
point  his  supply  of  language  entirely  gave 
out. 

"  No  one  would  know  anything  about  it,'* 
persisted  Katherine. 

"  Not  know  about  it?  With  a  crew  of  men 
picked  up  here  in  New  York,  and  coming 
back  to  New  York?  Not  know  about  it? 
Bless  my  soul,  the  papers  would  be  full  of  it 
before  your  men  were  an  hour  on  shore.  In 
the  first  place,  you'd  never  find  the  rock." 

"  Then  what's  the  harm  of  going  in  search 
of  it?  "  demanded  his  daughter.  "  Besides 
that,  Johnson  knows  exactly  where  it  is." 

"  Johnson,  Johnson!  You're  surely  not 
silly  enough  to  believe  Johnson's  cock-and- 
bull  story?  " 

"  I  believe  every  syllable  he  uttered.  The 
man's  face  showed  that  he  was  speaking  the 
truth." 

"  But,  my  dear  Kate,  you  didn't  see  him  at 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  227 

all,  as  I  understand  the  yarn.  He  was  here 
alone  with  you,  was  he  not,  Dorothy  ?  ' 

Dorothy  smiled  sadly. 

"  I  told  Kate  all  about  it,  and  gave  my  own 
impression  of  the  man's  appearance." 

"  You  are  too  sensible  a  girl  to  place  any 
credit  in  what  he  said,  surely  $  ' 

"  I  did  believe  him,  nevertheless,"  replied 
Dorothy. 

"  Why,  look  you  here.  False  in  one  thing, 
false  in  all.  I'll  just  take  a  single  point.  He 
speaks  of  a  spring  sending  water  through  the 
cells  up  there  in  the  rock.  Now,  that  is  an 
impossibility.  Wherever  a  spring  exists,  it 
comes  from  a  source  higher  than  itself." 

"  There  are  lots  of  springs  up  in  the  moun- 
tains," interrupted  Katherine.  "  I  know  one 
on  Mount  Washington  that  is  ten  times  as 
high  as  the  rock  in  the  Baltic." 

"  Quite  so,  Katherine,  quite  so,  but  never- 
theless there  is  a  lake,  subterraneous  or  above 
ground,  which  feeds  your  White  Mountain 
spring,  and  such  a  lake  must  be  situated 
higher  than  the  spring  is.  Why,  girl,  you 
ought  to  study  hydrometeorology  as  well  as 
chemistry.  Here  is  a  rock  jutting  up  in  mid- 
ocean " 

"  It's  in  the  Baltic,  near  the  Russian  coast," 


228  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

snapped  Kate,  "  and  I've  no  doubt  there  are 
mountains  in  Finland  that  contain  the  lake 
which  feeds  the  spring." 

"  How  far  is  that  rock  from  the  Finnish 
coast,  then?  ' 

"  Two  miles  and  a  half,"  said  Kate,  quick 
as  an  arrow  speeding  from  a  bow. 

"  Captain,  we  don't  know  how  far  it  is 
from  the  coast,"  amended  Dorothy. 

"Ill  never  believe  the  thing  exists  at  all." 

"  Why,  'yes  it  does,  father.  How  can  you 
speak  like  that?  Don't  you  know  Lieutenant 
Drummond  fired  at  it  ?  ' 

"  How  do  you  know  it  was  the  same  rock?  ' 

"  Because  the  rock  fired  back  at  him. 
There  can't  be  two  like  that  in  the  Baltic." 

"  No,  nor  one  either,"  said  the  Captain, 
Hearing  the  end  of  his  patience. 

"  Captain  Kempt,"  said  Dorothy  very 
soothingly,  as  if  she  desired  to  quell  the  ris- 
ing storm,  "  you  take  the  allegation  about 
the  spring  of  water  to  prove  that  Johnson 
was  telling  untruths.  I  expect  him  here 
within  an  hour,  and  I  will  arrange  that  you 
have  an  opportunity,  privately,  of  cross- 
examining  him.  I  think  when  you  see  the 
man,  and  listen  to  him,  you  will  believe. 
What  makes  me  so  sure  that  he  is  telling  the 


A  BOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  229 

truth  is  the  fact  that  he  mentioned  the  for- 
eign vessel  firing  at  this  rock,  which  I  knew 
to  be  true,  and  which  he  could  not  possibly 
have  learned  anything  about." 

"  He  might  very  well  have  learned  all  par- 
ticulars from  the  papers,  Dorothy.  They 
were  full  enough  of  the  subject  at  the  time, 
and,  remembering  this,  he  thought  to 
strengthen  his  story  by " 

Katherine  interrupted  with  great  scorn. 

"  By  adding  verisimilitude  to  an  other- 
wise bald  and  unconvincing  narrative." 

* '  Quite  so,  Kate ;  exactly  what  I  was  going 
to  say  myself.  But  to  come  back  to  the  pro- 
ject itself.  Granting  the  existence  of  the 
rock,  granting  the  truth  of  Johnson's  story, 
granting  everything,  granting  even  that  the 
young  men  are  imprisoned  there,  of  which  we 
have  not  the  slightest  proof,  we  could  no  more 
succeed  in  capturing  that  place  from  a  frail 
pleasure  yacht " 

"  It's  built  like  a  cruiser,"  said  Katherine. 

"  Even  if  it  were  built  like  a  battleship 
we  would  have  no  chance  whatever.  Why, 
that  rock  might  defy  a  regular  fleet.  Our 
venture  would  simply  be  a  marine  Jameson 
Raid  which  would  set  the  whole  world  laugh- 
ing when  people  came  to  hear  of  it." 


230  A  BOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

"  Johnson  said  he  could  take  it  with  half 
a  dozen  men." 

"  No,  Kate,"  corrected  Dorothy,  "  he  said 
the  very  reverse ;  that  two  or  three  determined 
men  on  the  rock  with  repeating  rifles  could 
defeat  a  host.  It  was  I  who  suggested  that 
we  should  throw  a  shell,  and  then  rush  the 
entrance  in  the  confusion." 

Captain  Kempt  threw  up  his  hands  in  a 
gesture  of  despair. 

"  Great  heavens,  Dorothy  Amhurst,  whom 
I  have  always  regarded  as  the  mildest,  sweet- 
est and  most  charming  of  girls;  to  hear  you 
calmly  propose  to  throw  a  shell  among  a  lot 
of  innocent  men  defending  their  own  terri- 
tory against  a  perfectly  unauthorized  inva- 
sion !  Throw  a  shell,  say  you,  as  if  you  were 
talking  of  tossing  a  copper  to  a  beggar!  Oh, 
Lord,  I'm  growing  old.  What  will  become  of 
this  younger  generation?  Well,  I  give  it  up. 
Dorothy,  my  dear,  whatever  will  happen  to 
those  unfortunate  Russians,  I  shall  never 
recover  from  the  shock  of  your  shell.  The 
thing  is  absolutely  impossible.  Can't  you  see 
that  the  moment  you  get  down  to  details? 
How  are  you  going  to  procure  your  shells,  or 
your  shell-firing  gun?  They  are  not  to  be 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  231 

bought  at  the  first  hardware  store  you  come 
to  on  Sixth  Avenue." 

"  Johnson  says  he  can  get  them/'  pro- 
claimed Kate  with  finality. 

"  Oh,  damn  Johnson!  Dorothy,  I  beg  your 
pardon,  but  really,  this  daughter  of  mine, 
combined  with  that  Johnson  of  yours,  is  just 
a  little  more  than  I  can  bear." 

"  Then  what  are  we  to  do  ?  "  demanded  his 
daughter.  "  Sit  here  with  folded  hands?  " 

"  That  would  be  a  great  deal  better  than 
what  you  propose.  You  should  do  something 
sane.  You  mustn't  involve  a  pair  of  friendly 
countries  in  war.  Of  course  the  United 
States  would  utterly  disclaim  your  act,  and 
discredit  me  if  I  were  lunatic  enough  to 
undertake  such  a  wild  goose  chase,  which  I'm 
not ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  if  two  of  our  girls 
undertook  such  an  expedition,  no  man  can 
predict  the  public  clamor  that  might  arise. 
Why,  when  the  newspapers  get  hold  of  a 
question,  you  never  know  where  they  will  end 
it.  Undoubtedly  you  two  girls  should  be  sent 
to  prison,  and,  with  equal  undoubtedness,  the 
American  people  wouldn't  permit  it." 

"  You  bet  they  wouldn't,"  said  Katherine, 
dropping  into  slang. 


232  A  BOOK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  Well,  then,  if  they  wouldn't,  there's 
war." 

"  One  moment,  Captain  Kempt,"  said 
Dorothy,  again  in  her  mildest  tones,  for 
voices  had  again  begun  to  run  high,  "  you 
spoke  of  doing  something  sane.  You  under- 
stand the  situation.  What  should  you  coun- 
sel us  to  do?  " 

The  Captain  drew  a  long  breath,  and  leaned 
back  in  his  chair. 

"  There,  Dad,  it's  up  to  you,"  said  Kath- 
erine.  "  Let  us  hear  your  proposal,  and  then 
you'll  learn  how  easy  it  is  to  criticise." 

"  Well,"  said  the  Captain  hesitatingly, 
"  there's  our  diplomatic  service " 

"Utterly  useless:  one  man  is  a  Russian, 
and  the  other  an  Englishman.  Diplomacy 
not  only  can  do  nothing,  but  won't  even  try," 
cried  Kate  triumphantly. 

"  Yet,"  said  the  Captain,  with  little  con- 
fidence, "  although  the  two  men  are  for- 
eigners, the  two  girls  are  Americans." 

"  We  don't  count:  we've  no  votes,"  said 
Kate.  "  Besides,  Dorothy  tried  the  diplo- 
matic service,  and  could  not  even  get  accu- 
rate information  from  it.  Now,  father,  third 
time  and  out." 

"  Four  balls  are  out,  Kate,  and  I've  only 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  233 

fanned  the  air  twice.  Now,  girls,  I'll  tell 
you  what  I'd  do.  You  two  come  with  me  to 
Washington.  We  will  seek  a  private  inter- 
view with  the  President.  He  will  get  into 
communication  with  the  Czar,  also  privately, 
and  outside  of  all  regular  channels.  The 
Czar  will  put  machinery  in  motion  that  is 
sure  to  produce  those  two  young  men  much 
more  effectually  and  speedily  than  any  cut- 
throat expedition  on  a  yacht." 

"  I  think,"  said  Dorothy,  "  that  is  an  ex- 
cellent plan." 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  cried  the  Captain  en- 
thusiastically. "  Don't  you  see  the  pull  the 
President  will  have?  Why,  they've  put  an 
Englishman  into  *  the  jug, '  and  when  the  Pres- 
ident communicates  this  fact  to  the  Czar  he 
will  be  afraid  to  refuse,  knowing  that  the 
next  appeal  may  be  from  America  to  Eng- 
land, and  when  you  add  a  couple  of  Ameri- 
can girls  to  that  political  mix-up,  whyr  what 
chance  has  the  Czar?  r 

"  The  point  you  raise,  Captain,"  said 
Dorothy,  "  is  one  I  wish  to  say  a  few  words 
about.  The  President  cannot  get  Mr.  Drum- 
mond  released,  because  the  Czar  and  all  his 
government  will  be  compelled  to  deny  that 
they  know  anything  of  him.  Even  the  Presi- 


234  A  ROCK  IX  THE  BALTIC 

dent  couldn't  guarantee  that  the  English- 
man would  keep  silence  if  he  were  set  at  lib- 
erty. The  Czar  would  know  that,  but  your 
plan  would  undoubtedly  produce  Prince  Ivan 
Lermontoff.  All  the  president  has  to  do  is 
to  tell  the  Czar  that  the  Prince  is  engaged  to 
an  American  girl,  and  Lermontoff  will  be 
allowed  to  go." 

"  But,"  objected  the  Captain,  "  as  the 
Prince  knows  the  Englishman  is  in  prison, 
how  could  they  be  su*e  of  John  keeping  quiet 
when  Drummond  is  his  best  friend  ?  ' 

"  He  cannot  know  that,  because  the  Prince 
was  arrested  several  days  before  Drummond 


was.': 


"  They  have  probably  chucked  them  both 
into  the  same  cell,"  said  the  Captain,  but 
Dorothy  shook  her  head. 

"  If  they  had  intended  to  do  that,  they 
would  doubtless  have  arrested  them  together. 
I  am  sure  that  one  does  not  know  the  fate  of 
the  other,  therefore  the  Czar  can  quite  readily 
let  Lennontoff  go,  and  he  is  certain  to  do  that 
at  a  word  from  the  President.  Besides  this, 
I  am  as  confident  that  Jack  is  not  in  the 
Trogzmondoff,  as  I  am  sure  that  Drummond 
is.  Johnson  said  it  was  a  prison  for  for- 
eigners." 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  235 

"  Oh,  Dorothy,"  cried  the  Captain,  with  a 
deep  sigh,  "  if  we've  got  back  again  to  John- 
son— "  He  waved  his  hand  and  shook  his 
head. 

The  maid  opened  the  door  and  said,  look- 
ing at  Dorothy : 

"  Mr.  Paterson  and  Mr.  Johnson." 

"  Just  show  them  into  the  morning  room," 
said  Dorothy,  rising.  "  Captain  Kempt,  it  is 
awfully  good  of  you  to  have  listened  so  pa- 
tiently to  a  scheme  of  which  you  couldn't  pos- 
sibly approve." 

"  Patiently!  "  sniffed  the  daughter. 

"  Now  I  want  you  to  do  me  another  kind- 
ness." 

She  went  to  the  desk  and  picked  up  a  piece 
of  paper. 

"  Here  is  a  check  I  have  signed — a  blank 
check.  I  wish  you  to  buy  the  yacht '  Walrus  ' 
just  as  she  stands,  and  make  the  best  bargain 
you  can  for  me.  A  man  is  so  much  better  at 
this  kind  of  negotiation  than  a  woman." 

"  But  surely,  my  dear  Dorothy,  you  won't 
persist  in  buying  this  yacht?  " 

"  It's  her  own  money,  father,"  put  in 
Katherine. 

"  Keep  quiet,"  said  the  Captain,  rising,  for 
the  first  time  speaking  with  real  severity, 


236  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

whereupon  Katherine,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  she  was  older  than  twenty-one,  was  wise 
enough  to  obey. 

"  Yes,  I  am  quite  determined,  Captain, " 
said  Dorothy  sweetly. 

"  But,  my  dear  woman,  don't  you  see  how 
you've  been  hoodwinked  by  this  man  John- 
son? He  is  shy  of  a  job.  He  has  already 
swindled  you  out  of  twenty  thousand  dollars." 

"  No,  he  asked  for  ten  only,  Captain 
Kempt,  and  I  voluntarily  doubled  the 
amount." 

"  Nevertheless,  he  has  worked  you  up  to 
believe  that  these  young  men  are  in  that  rock. 
He  has  done  this  for  a  very  crafty  purpose, 
and  his  purpose  seems  likely  to  succeed.  He 
knows  he  will  be  well  paid,  and  you  have 
promised  him  a  bonus  besides.  If  he,  with 
his  Captain  Kidd  crew,  gets  you  on  that 
yacht,  you  will  only  step  ashore  by  giving 
him  every  penny  you  possess.  That's  his  ob- 
ject. He  knows  you  are  starting  out  to  com- 
mit a  crime — that's  the  word,  Dorothy, 
there's  no  use  in  our  mincing  matters — you 
will  be  perfectly  helpless  in  his  hands.  Of 
course,  I  could  not  allow  my  daughter  Kate 
to  go  on  such  an  expedition." 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  237 

"  I  am  over  twenty-one  years  old,"  cried 
Kate,  the  light  of  rebellion  in  her  eyes. 

"  I  do  not  intend  that  either  of  you  shall 
go,  Katherine." 

"  Dorothy,  I'll  not  submit  to  that,"  cried 
Katherine,  with  a  rising  tremor  of  anger  in 
her  voice,  "  I  shall  not  be  set  aside  like  a 
child.  Who  has  more  at  stake  than  I'?  And 
as  for  capturing  the  rock,  I'll  dynamite  it 
myself,  and  bring  home  as  large  a  specimen 
of  it  as  the  yacht  will  carry,  and  set  it  up  on 
Bedloe's  Island  beside  the  Goddess  and  say, 
'  There's  your  statue  of  Liberty,  and  there's 
your  statue  of  Tyranny !  ' 

"  Katherine,"  chided  her  father,  "  I  never 
before  believed  that  a  child  of  mine  could  talk 
such  driveling  nonsense. 

"  Paternal  heredity,  father,"  retorted  Kate. 

"  Your  Presidential  plan,  Captain  Kempt," 
interposed  Dorothy,  "  is  excellent  so  far  as 
Prince  Lermontoff  is  concerned,  but  it  can- 
not rescue  Lieutenant  Drummond.  Now,  there 
are  two  things  you  can  do  for  me  that  will 
make  me  always  your  debtor,  as,  indeed,  I  am 
already,  and  the  first  is  to  purchase  for  me 
the  yacht.  The  second  is  to  form  your  own 
judgment  of  the  man  Johnson,  and  if  you  dis- 
trust him,  then  engage  for  me  one-half  the 


238  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

crew,  and  see  that  they  are  picked  Ameri- 
cans. ' ' 

"  First  sane  idea  I  have  heard  since  I 
came  into  this  flat,"  growled  the  Captain. 

"  The  Americans  won't  let  the  Finlander 
hold  me  for  ransom,  you  may  depend  upon 
that." 

It  was  a  woe-begone  look  the  gallant  Cap- 
tain cast  on  the  demure  and  determined 
maiden,  then,  feeling  his  daughter's  eye  upon 
him,  he  turned  toward  her. 

"I'm  going,  father,"  she  said,  with  a  firm- 
ness quite  equal  to  his  own,  and  he  on  his 
part  recognized  when  his  daughter  had  toed 
the  danger  line.  He  indulged  in  a  laugh  that 
had  little  of  mirth  in  it. 

"  All  I  can  say  is  that  I  am  thankful  you 
haven't  made  up  your  minds  to  kidnap  the 
Czar.  Of  course  you  are  going,  Kate.  So 
am  I." 


CHAPTER   XVI 

CELL   NUMBER  NINE 

As  the  sailing-boat  cast  off,  and  was  shoved 
away  from  the  side  of  the  steamer,  there  were 
eight  men  aboard.  Six  grasped  the  oars,  and 
the  young  clerk  who  had  signed  for  the  docu- 
ments given  to  him  by  the  Captain  took  the 
rudder,  motioning  Lermontoff  to  a  seat  be- 
side him.  All  the  forward  part  of  the  boat, 
and,  indeed,  the  space  well  back  toward  the 
stern,  was  piled  with  boxes  and  bags. 

"What  is  this  place  called?"  asked  the 
Prince,  but  the  young  steersman  did  not 
reply. 

Tying  the  boat  to  iron  rings  at  the  small 
landing  where  the  steps  began,  three  of  the 
men  shipped  their  oars.  Each  threw  a  bag 
over  his  shoulder,  walked  up  half  a  dozen 
steps  and  waited.  The  clerk  motioned  Ler- 
montoff  to  follow,  so  he  stepped  on  the  shelf 
of  rock  and  looked  upward  at  the  rugged 
stairway  cut  between  the  main  island  and  an 
outstanding  perpendicular  ledge  of  rock. 


240  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

The  steps  were  so  narrow  that  the  procession 
had  to  move  up  in  Indian  file ;  three  men  with 
bags,  then  the  Prince  and  the  clerk,  followed 
by  three  more  men  with  boxes.  Lermontoff 
counted  two  hundred  and  thirty-seven  steps, 
which  brought  him  to  an  elevated  platform, 
projecting  from  a  doorway  cut  in  the  living 
rock,  but  shielded  from  all  sight  of  the  sea. 
The  eastern  sun  shone  through  this  doorway, 
but  did  not  illumine  sufficiently  the  large 
room  whose  walls,  ceiling  and  floor  were  of 
solid  stone.  At  the  farther  end  a  man  in 
uniform  sat  behind  a  long  table  on  which 
burned  an  oil  lamp  with  a  green  shade.  At 
his  right  hand  stood  a  broad,  round  brazier 
containing  glowing  coals,  after  the  Oriental 
fashion,  and  the  officer  was  holding  his  two 
hands  over  it,  and  rubbing  them  together. 
The  room,  nevertheless,  struck  chill  as  a  cel- 
lar, and  Lermontoff  heard  a  constant  smoth- 
ered roar  of  water. 

The  clerk,  stepping  forward  and  saluting, 
presented  to  the  Governor  seated  there  the 
papers  and  envelopes  given  him  by  the  Cap- 
tain. The  officer  selected  a  blue  sheet  of 
paper,  and  scrutinized  it  for  a  moment  under 
the  lamp. 

"  Where  are  the  others?  " 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  241 

"  We  have  landed  first  the  supplies,  Gov- 
ernor; then  the  boat  will  return  for  the 
others/' 

The  Governor  nodded,  and  struck  a  bell 
with  his  open  palm.  There  entered  a  big 
man  with  a  bunch  of  keys  at  his  belt,  followed 
by  another  who  carried  a  lighted  lantern. 

"  Number  Nine,"  said  the  Governor  to  the 
gaolers. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  am  I  a  prisoner?  ' 
asked  Lermontoff. 

The  Governor  gave  utterance  to  a  sound 
that  was  more  like  the  grunt  of  a  pig  than 
the  ejaculation  of  a  man.  He  did  not  answer, 
but  looked  up  at  the  questioner,  and  the  latter 
saw  that  his  face,  gaunt  almost  as  that  of  a 
living  skeleton,  was  pallid  as  putty. 

"  Number  Nine,"  he  repeated,  whereupon 
the  gaoler  and  the  man  with  the  lantern  put  a 
hand  each  on  Lermontoff's  shoulders,  and 
marched  him  away.  They  walked  together 
down  a  long  passage,  the  swaying  lantern  cast- 
ing its  yellow  rays  on  the  iron  bolts  of  door 
after  door,  until  at  last  the  gaoler  stopped, 
threw  back  six  bolts,  inserted  a  key,  unlocked 
the  door,  and  pushed  it  ponderously  open.  The 
lantern  showed  it  to  be  built  like  the  door  of 
a  safe,  but  unlike  that  of  a  safe  it  opened  in- 

16 


242  A  BOCK  IX  THE  BALTIC 

wards.  As  soon  as  the  door  came  ajar  Ler- 
montoff  heard  the  sound  of  flowing  waterr 
and  when  the  three  entered,  he  noticed  a 
rapid  little  stream  sparkling  in  the  rays  of 
the  lantern  at  the  further  end  of  the  cell.  He 
saw  a  shelf  of  rock  and  a  stone  bench  before 
it.  The  gaoler  placed  his  hands  on  a  black 
loaf,  while  the  other  held  up  the  lantern. 

"  That  will  last  you  four  days,"  said  the 
gaoler. 

"  Well,  my  son,  judging  from  the  unap- 
petizing look  of  it,  I  think  it  will  last  me 
much  longer." 

The  gaoler  made  no  reply,  but  he  and  the 
man  with  the  lantern  retired,  drawing  the 
door  heavily  after  them.  Lennontoff  heard 
the  bolts  thrust  into  place,  and  the  turn  of  the 
key;  then  silence  fell,  all  but  the  babbling  of 
the  water.  He  stood  still  in  the  center  of  the 
cell,  his  hands  thrust  deep  in  the  pockets  of 
his  overcoat,  and,  in  spite  of  this  heavy  gar- 
ment, he  shivered  a  little. 

"  Jack,  my  boy,"  he  muttered,  "  this  is  a 
new  deal,  as  they  say  in  the  West.  I  can  im- 
agine a  man  going  crazy  here,  if  it  wasn't  for 
that  stream.  I  never  knew  what  darkness 
meant  before.  Well,  let's  find  out  the  size  of 
our  kingdom." 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  243 

He  groped  for  the  wall,  and  stumbling 
against  the  stone  bench,  whose  existence  he 
had  forgotten,  pitched  head  forward  to  the 
table,  and  sent  the  four-day  loaf  rolling  on 
the  floor.  He  made  an  ineffectual  grasp  after 
the  loaf,  fearing  it  might  fall  into  the  stream 
and  be  lost  to  him,  but  he  could  not  find  it, 
and  now  his  designs  for  measuring  the  cell 
gave  place  to  the  desire  of  finding  that  loaf. 
He  got  down  on  his  hands  and  knees,  and  felt 
the  stone  floor  inch  by  inch  for  half  an  hour, 
as  he  estimated  the  time,  but  never  once  did 
he  touch  the  bread. 

"  How  helpless  a  man  is  in  the  dark,  after 
all,"  he  muttered  to  himself.  "  I  must  do  this 
systematically,  beginning  at  the  edge  of  the 
stream." 

On  all  fours  he  reached  the  margin  of  the 
rivulet,  and  felt  his  way  along  the  brink  till 
his  head  struck  the  opposite  wall.  He  turned 
round,  took  up  a  position  that  he  guessed  was 
three  feet  nearer  the  door,  and  again  trav- 
ersed the  room,  becoming  so  eager  in  the 
search  that  he  forgot  for  the  moment  the 
horror  of  his  situation,  just  as,  when  engaged 
in  a  chemical  experiment,  everything  else 
vanished  from  his  mind,  and  thus  after  sev- 
eral journeys  back  and  forth  he  was  again 


244  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

reminded  of  the  existence  of  the  stone  bench 
by  butting  against  it  when  he  knew  he  was 
still  several  feet  from  the  wall.  Rubbing  his 
head,  he  muttered  some  unfavorable  phrases 
regarding  the  immovable  bench,  then  crawled 
round  it  twice,  and  resumed  his  transverse 
excursions.  At  last  he  reached  the  wall  that 
held  the  door,  and  now  with  breathless  eager- 
ness rubbed  his  shoulder  against  it  till  he 
came  to  the  opposite  corner.  He  knew  he  had 
touched  with  knees  and  hands  practically 
every  square  inch  of  space  in  the  floor,  and 
yet  no  bread. 

"  Now,  that's  a  disaster,"  cried  he,  getting 
up  on  his  feet,  and  stretching  himself. 
"  Still,  a  man  doesn't  starve  in  four  days. 
I've  cast  my  bread  on  the  waters.  It  has 
evidently  gone  down  the  stream.  Now,  what's 
to  hinder  a  man  escaping  by  means  of  that 
watercourse?  Still,  if  he  did,  what  would  be 
the  use?  He'd  float  out  into  the  Baltic  Sea, 
and  if  able  to  swim  round  the  rock,  would 
merely  be  compelled  to  knock  at  the  front 
door  and  beg  admission  again.  No,  by  Jove, 
there's  the  boat,  but  they  probably  guard  it 
night  and  day,  and  a  man  in  the  water  would 
have  no  chance  against  one  in  the  boat.  Per- 
haps there's  gratings  between  the  cells.  Of 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  245 

course,  there's  bound  to  be.  No  one  would 
leave  the  bed  of  a  stream  clear  for  any  one  to 
navigate.  Prisoners  would  visit  each  other 
in  their  cells,  and  that's  not  allowed  in  any 
respectable  prison.  I  wonder  if  there's  any 
one  next  door  on  either  side  of  me.  An  iron 
grid  won't  keep  out  the  sound.  I'll  try,"  and 
going  again  to  the  margin  of  the  watercourse, 
he  shouted  several  times  as  loudly  as  he  could, 
but  only  a  sepulchral  echo,  as  if  from  a  vault, 
replied  to  him. 

"  I  imagine  the  adjoining  cells  are  empty. 
No  enjoyable  companionship  to  be  expected 
here.  I  wonder  if  they've  got  the  other  poor 
devils  up  from  the  steamer  yet.  I'll  sit  down 
on  the  bench  and  listen." 

He  could  have  found  the  bench  and  shelf 
almost  immediately  by  groping  round  the 
wall,  but  he  determined  to  exercise  his  sense 
of  direction,  to  pit  himself  against  the  dark- 
ness. 

"  I  need  not  hurry,"  he  said,  "  I  may  be  a 
long  time  here." 

In  his  mind  he  had  a  picture  of  the  cell,  but 
now  that  he  listened  to  the  water  it  seemed  to 
have  changed  its  direction,  and  he  found  he 
had  to  rearrange  this  mental  picture,  and 
make  a  different  set  of  calculations  to  fit  the 


246  A  ROCK:  IN  THE  BALTIC 

new  position.  Then  he  shuffled  slowly  for- 
ward with  hands  outstretched,  but  he  came  to 
the  wall,  and  not  to  the  bench.  Again  he 
mapped  out  his  route,  again  endeavored,  and 
again  failed. 

i '  This  is  bewildering, ' '  he  muttered.  '  i  How 
the  darkness  baffles  a  man.  For  the  first  time 
in  my  life  I  appreciate  to  the  full  the  benedic- 
tion of  God's  command, '  Let  there  be  light.' 

He  stood  perplexed  for  a  few  moments, 
and,  deeply  thinking,  his  hands  automatically 
performed  an  operation  as  the  servants  of 
habit.  They  took  from  his  pocket  his  cigar- 
ette case,  selected  a  tube  of  tobacco,  placed  it 
between  his  lips,  searched  another  pocket, 
brought  out  a  match-box,  and  struck  a  light. 
The  striking  of  the  match  startled  Lernion- 
toff:  as  if  it  had  been  an  explosion;  then  he 
laughed,  holding  the  match  above  his  head, 
and  there  at  his  feet  saw  the  loaf  of  black 
bread.  It  seemed  as  if  somebody  had  twisted 
the  room  end  for  end.  The  door  was  where  he 
thought  the  stream  was,  and  thus  he  learned 
that  sound  gives  no  indication  of  direction  to 
a  man  blindfolded.  The  match  began  to  wane, 
and  feverishly  he  lit  his  cigarette. 

"  Why  didn't  I  think  of  the  matches,  and 
oh !  what  a  pity  I  failed  to  fill  my  pockets  with 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  247 

them  that  night  of  the  Professor's  dinner 
party!  To  think  that  matches  are  selling  at 
this  moment  in  Sweden  two  hundred  and  fifty 
for  a  halfpenny! ' 

Guided  by  the  spark  at  the  end  of  his  cigar- 
ette, he  sought  the  bench  and  sat  down  upon 
it.  He  was  surprised  to  find  himself  so  little 
depressed  as  was  actually  the  case.  He  did 
not  feel  in  the  least  disheartened.  Something 
was  going  to  happen  on  his  behalf ;  of  that  he 
was  quite  certain.  It  was  perfectly  ridicu- 
lous that  even  in  Russia  a  loyal  subject,  who 
had  never  done  any  illegal  act  in  his  life,  a 
nobleman  of  the  empire,  and  a  friend  of  the 
Czar,  should  be  incarcerated  for  long  without 
trial,  and  even  without  accusation.  He  had 
no  enemies  that  he  knew  of,  and  many  friends, 
and  yet  he  experienced  a  vague  uneasiness 
when  he  remembered  that  his  own  course  of 
life  had  been  such  that  he  would  not  be  missed 
by  his  friends.  For  more  than  a  year  he  had 
been  in  England,  at  sea,  and  in  America,  so 
much  absorbed  in  his  researches  that  he  had 
written  no  private  letters  worth  speaking  of, 
and  if  any  friend  were  asked  his  whereabouts, 
he  was  likely  to  reply : 

"  Oh,  Lermontoff  is  in  some  German  uni- 
versity town,  or  in  England,  or  traveling 


248  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

elsewhere.  I  haven't  seen  him  or  heard  of 
him  for  months.  Lost  in  a  wilderness  or  in 
an  experiment,  perhaps." 

These  unhappy  meditations  were  inter- 
rupted by  the  clang  of  bolts.  He  thought  at 
first  it  was  his  own  door  that  was  being 
opened,  but  a  moment  later  knew  it  was  the 
door  of  the  next  cell  up-stream.  The  sound, 
of  course,  could  not  penetrate  the  extremely 
thick  wall,  but  came  through  the  aperture 
whose  roof  arched  the  watercourse.  From 
the  voices  he  estimated  that  several  prisoners 
were  being  put  into  one  cell,  and  he  wondered 
whether  or  not  he  cared  for  a  companion.  It 
would  all  depend.  If  fellow-prisoners  hated 
each  other,  their  enforced  proximity  might 
prove  unpleasant. 

"  We  are  hungry,"  he  heard  one  say. 
"  Bring  us  food." 

The  gaoler  laughed. 

"  I  will  give  you  something  to  drink  first." 

"  That's  right,"  three  voices  shouted. 
6 '  Vodka,  vodka!" 

Then  the  door  clanged  shut  again,  and  he 
heard  the  murmur  of  voices  in  Russian,  but 
could  not  make  out  what  was  said.  One  of  the 
new  prisoners,  groping  round,  appeared  to 
have  struck  the  stone  bench,  as  he  himself 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  249 

had  done.  The  man  in  the  next  cell  swore 
coarsely,  and  Lermontoff,  judging  from  such 
snatches  of  their  conversation  as  he  could 
hear  that  they  were  persons  of  a  low  order, 
felt  no  desire  to  make  their  more  intimate 
acquaintance,  and  so  did  not  shout  to  them, 
as  he  had  intended  to  do.  And  now  he  missed 
something  that  had  become  familiar;  thought 
it  was  a  cigarette  he  desired,  for  the  one  he 
had  lit  had  been  smoked  to  his  very  lips,  then 
he  recognized  it  was  the  murmur  of  the 
stream  that  had  ceased. 

"  Ah,  they  can  shut  it  off,"  he  said. 
"  That's  interesting.  I  must  investigate,  and 
learn  whether  or  no  there  is  communication 
between  the  cells.  Not  very  likely,  though." 

He  crawled  on  hands  and  knees  until  he 
came  to  the  bed  of  the  stream,  which  was  now 
damp,  but  empty.  Kneeling  down  in  its 
course,  he  worked  his  way  toward  the  lower 
cell,  and,  as  he  expected,  came  to  stout  iron 
bars.  Crouching  thus  he  sacrificed  a  second 
match,  and  estimated  that  the  distance  be- 
tween the  two  cells  was  as  much  as  ten  feet  of 
solid  rock,  and  saw  also  that  behind  the  per- 
pendicular iron  bars  were  another  horizontal 
set,  then  another  perpendicular,  then  a  fourth 
horizontal. 


250  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

While  in  this  position  he  was  startled  by  a 
piercing  scream  to  the  rear.  He  backed  out 
from  the  tunnel  and  stood  upright  once  more. 
He  heard  the  sound  of  people  splashing  round 
in  water.  The  screamer  began  to  jabber  like 
a  maniac,  punctuating  his  ravings  with 
shrieks.  Another  was  cursing  vehemently, 
and  a  third  appealing  to  the  saints.  Lermon- 
toff  quickly  knelt  down  in  the  watercourse, 
this  time  facing  the  upper  cell,  and  struck 
his  third  match.  He  saw  that  a  steel  shield, 
reminding  him  of  the  thin  shutter  between  the 
lenses  of  a  camera,  had  been  shot  across  the 
tunnel  behind  the  second  group  of  cross  bars, 
and  as  an  engineer  he  could  not  but  admire 
the  skill  of  the  practical  expert  who  had  con- 
structed this  diabolical  device,  for  in  spite  of 
the  pressure  on  the  other  side,  hardly  a  drop 
of  water  oozed  through.  He  tried  to  reach 
this  shield,  but  could  not.  It  was  just  beyond 
the  touch  of  his  fingers,  with  his  arm  thrust 
through  the  two  sets  of  bars,  but  if  he  could 
have  stretched  that  far,  with  the  first  bar  re- 
tarding his  shoulder,  he  knew  his  hand  would 
be  helpless  even  if  he  had  some  weapon  to 
puncture  the  steel  shield.  The  men  would  be 
drowned  before  he  could  accomplish  anything 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  251 

unless  lie  was  at  the  lever  in  the  passage  out- 
side. 

Crawling  into  his  cell  again  he  heard  no 
more  of  the  chatter  and  cries  of  the  maniac, 
and  he  surmised  that  the  other  two  were  fight- 
ing for  places  on  bench  or  shelf,  which  was 
amply  large  enough  to  have  supported  both, 
had  they  not  been  too  demented  with  fear  to 
recognize  that  fact.  The  cursing  man  was 
victorious,  and  now  he  stood  alone  on  the 
shelf,  roaring  maledictions.  Then  there  was 
the  sound  of  a  plunge,  and  Lermontoff,  stand- 
ing there,  helpless  and  shivering,  heard  the 
prisoner  swim  round  and  round  his  cell  like 
a  furious  animal,  muttering  and  swearing. 

"  Don't  exhaust  yourself  like  that,"  shouted 
Lermontoff.  "  If  you  want  to  live,  cling  to 
the  hole  at  either  of  the  two  upper  corners. 
The  water  can't  rise  above  you  then,  and  you 
can  breathe  till  it  subsides." 

The  other  either  did  not  hear,  or  did  not 
heed,  but  tore  round  and  round  in  his  confined 
tank,  thrashing  the  water  like  a  dying  whale. 

"  Poor  devil,"  moaned  Jack.  "  What's  the 
use  of  telling  him  what  to  do.  He  is  doomed 
in  any  case.  The  other  two  are  now  better 
off." 

A  moment  later  the  water  began  to  dribble 


252  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

through  the  upper  aperture  into  Jack's  cell, 
increasing  and  increasing  until  there  was  the 
roar  of  a  waterfall,  and  he  felt  the  cold  splash- 
ing drops  spurt  against  him.  Beyond  this 
there  was  silence.  It  was  perhaps  ten  min- 
utes after  that  the  lever  was  pulled,  and  the 
water  belched  forth  from  the  lower  tunnel 
like  a  mill  race  broken  loose,  temporarily 
flooding  the  floor  so  that  Jack  was  compelled 
to  stand  on  the  bench. 

He  sunk  down  shivering  on  the  stone  shelf, 
laid  his  arms  on  the  stone  pillow,  and  buried 
his  face  in  them. 

"  My  God,  my  God!  "  he  groaned. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A  FELLOW  SCIENTIST 

IN  this  position  Jack  slept  off  and  on,  or 
rather,  dozed  into  a  kind  of  semi-stupor,  from 
which  he  awoke  with  a  start  now  and  then, 
as  he  thought  he  heard  again  the  mingled 
cries  of  devotion  and  malediction.  At  last  he 
slept  soundly,  and  awoke  refreshed,  but 
hungry.  The  loaf  lay  beside  him,  and  with 
his  knife  he  cut  a  slice  from  it,  munching  the 
coarse  bread  with  more  of  relish  than  he  had 
thought  possible  when  he  first  saw  it.  Then 
he  took  out  another  cigarette,  struck  a  match, 
looked  at  his  watch,  and  lit  the  cigarette.  It 
was  ten  minutes  past  two.  He  wondered  if  a 
night  had  intervened,  but  thought  it  unlikely. 
He  had  landed  very  early  in  the  morning,  and 
now  it  was  afternoon.  He  was  fearfully 
thirsty,  but  could  not  bring  himself  to  drink 
from  that  stream  of  death.  Once  more  he 
heard  the  bolts  shot  back. 

"  They  are  going  to  throw  the  poor  wretches 
into  the  sea,"  he  muttered,  *  but  the  yellow 


254  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

gleam  of  a  lantern  showed  him  it  was  his  own 
door  that  had  been  unlocked. 

"  You  are  to  see  the  Governor,"  said  the 
gaoler  gruffly.  * '  Come  with  me. ' ' 

Jack  sprang  to  the  floor  of  his  cell,  repres- 
sing a  cry  of  delight.  Nothing  the  grim  Gov- 
ernor could  do  to  him  would  make  his  situa- 
tion any  worse,  and  perhaps  his  persuasive 
powers  upon  that  official  might  result  in  some 
amelioration  of  his  position.  In  any  case 
there  was  the  brief  respite  of  the  interview, 
and  he  would  gladly  have  chummed  with  the 
devil  himself  to  be  free  a  few  moments  from 
this  black  pit. 

Although  the  outside  door  of  the  Governor's 
room  stood  open,  the  room  was  not  as  well 
illumined  as  it  had  been  before,  for  the  sun 
had  now  gone  round  to  the  other  side  of  the 
island,  but  to  the  prisoner's  aching  eyes  it 
seemed  a  chamber  of  refulgence.  The  same 
lamp  was  burning  on  the  table,  giving  forth 
an  odor  of  bad  oil,  but  in  addition  to  this,  two 
candles  were  lighted,  which  supplemented  in 
some  slight  measure  the  efforts  of  the  lamp. 
At  the  end  of  the  table  lay  a  number  of  docu- 
ments under  a  paper-weight,  arranged  with 
the  neat  precision  of  a  methodical  man.  The 
Governor  had  been  warming  his  hands  over 


A  EOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  255 

the  brazier,  but  ceased  when  Lermontoff!  was 
brought  up  standing  before  him.  He  lifted 
the  paper-weight,  took  from  under  it  the  two 
letters  which  Lermontoff  had  given  to  the 
steward  on  the  steamer,  and  handed  them  to 
the  prisoner,  who  thus  received  them  back 
for  the  second  time. 

"  I  wish  to  say,"  remarked  the  Governor, 
with  an  air  of  bored  indifference  which  was 
evidently  quite  genuine,  "  that  if  you  make 
any  further  attempt  to  communicate  with  the 
authorities,  or  with  friends,  you  will  bring  on 
yourself  punishment  which  will  be  unpleas- 
ant." 

"  As  a  subject  of  the  Czar,  I  have  the  right 
to  appeal  to  him,"  said  the  Prince. 

"  The  appeal  you  have  written  here,"  re- 
plied the  Governor,  "  would  have  proved  use- 
less, even  if  it  had  been  delivered.  The  Czar 
knows  nothing  of  the  Trogzmondoff,  which  is 
a  stronghold  entirely  under  the  control  of  the 
Grand  Dukes  and  of  the  Navy.  The  Trogz- 
mondoff never  gives  up  a  prisoner." 

"  Then  I  am  here  for  a  lifetime?  " 

"  Yes,"  rejoined  the  Governor,  with  frigid 
calmness,  "  and  if  you  give  me  no  trouble  you 
will  save  yourself  some  inconvenience." 


256  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

"  Do  you  speak  French?  '  asked  the 
Prince. 

"  Net." 

"  English!  " 

"Net." 

"Italian?" 

"Net." 

"  German!  " 

"  Da." 

"  Then,"  continued  Lermontoff  in  German, 
"  I  desire  to  say  a  few  words  to  you  which  I 
don't  wish  this  gaoler  to  understand.  I  am 
Prince  Ivan  Lermontoff,  a  personal  friend  of 
the  Czar's,  who,  after  all,  is  master  of  the 
Grand  Dukes  and  the  Navy  also.  If  you  will 
help  to  put  me  into  communication  with  him, 
I  will  guarantee  that  no  harm  comes  to  you, 
and  furthermore  will  make  you  a  rich  man." 

The  Governor  slowly  shook  his  head. 

"  What  you  ask  is  impossible.  Riches  are 
nothing  to  me.  Bribery  may  do  much  in 
other  parts  of  the  Empire,  but  it  is  powerless 
in  the  Trogzmondoff.  I  shall  die  in  the  room 
adjoining  this,  as  my  predecessor  died.  I  am 
quite  as  much  a  prisoner  in  the  Trogzmondofd 
as  is  your  Highness.  No  man  who  has  once 
set  foot  in  this  room,  either  as  Governor,  em- 
ployee, or  prisoner,  is  allowed  to  see  the  main- 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  257 

land  again,  and  thus  the  secret  has  been  well 
kept.  We  have  had  many  prisoners  of  equal 
rank  with  your  Highness,  friends  of  the  Czar 
too,  I  dare  say,  but  they  all  died  on  the  Rock, 
and  were  buried  in  the  Baltic." 

"  May  I  not  be  permitted  to  receive  certain 
supplies  if  I  pay  for  them?  That  is  allowed 
in  other  prisons." 

The  Governor  shook  his  head. 

"  I  can  let  you  have  a  blanket,"  he  said, 
"  and  a  pillow,  or  a  sheepskin  if  you  find  it 
cold  at  first,  but  my  power  here  is  very  limited, 
and,  as  I  tell  you,  the  officers  have  little  more 
comfort  than  the  prisoners." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  care  anything  about  comfort," 
protested  Lermontoff.  "  What  I  want  is  some 
scientific  apparatus.  I  am  a  student  of  science. 
I  have  nothing  to  do  with  politics,  and  have 
never  been  implicated  in  any  plot.  Someone 
in  authority  has  made  a  stupid  mistake,  and 
so  I  am  here.  This  mistake  I  am  quite  certain 
will  be  discovered  and  remedied.  I  hold  no 
malice,  and  will  say  nothing  of  the  place,  once 
I  am  free.  It  is  no  business  of  mine.  But  I 
do  not  wish  to  have  the  intervening  time 
wasted.  I  should  like  to  buy  some  electrical 
machinery,  and  materials,  for  which  I  am  wil- 
ling to  pay  any  price  that  is  asked." 

17 


258  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

"  Do  you  understand  electricity?  "  ques- 
tioned the  Governor,  and  for  the  first  time  his 
impassive  face  showed  a  glimmer  of  interest. 

"  Do  I  understand  electricity?  Why,  for 
over  a  year  I  have  been  chief  electrician  on  a 
war-ship. ' ' 

"  Perhaps  then,"  said  the  Governor,  re- 
lapsing into  Russian  again,  "  you  can  tell  me 
what  is  wrong  with  our  dynamo  here  in  the 
Rock.  After  repeated  requisition  they  sent 
machinery  for  lighting  our  offices  and  pas- 
sages with  electricity.  They  apparently  did 
not  care  to  send  an  electrician  to  the  Trogz- 
mondoff,  but  forwarded  instead  some  books  of 
instruction.  I  have  been  working  at  it  for 
two  years  and  a  half,  but  I  am  still  using  oil 
lamps  and  candles.  We  wired  the  place  with- 
out difficulty."  He  held  up  the  candle,  and 
showed,  depending  from  the  ceiling,  a  chan- 
delier of  electric  lamps  which  Lermontoff:  had 
not  hitherto  noticed,  various  brackets,  and  one 
or  two  stand  lamps  in  a  corner,  with  green 
silk-covered  wire  attached. 

"  May  I  see  your  dynamo?"  asked  Ler- 
montoff. 

The  Governor,  with  one  final  warming  of 
his  hands,  took  up  a  candle,  told  the  gaoler  to 
remove  the  shade  from  the  lamp  and  bring  it, 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  259 

led  the  way  along  a  passage,  and  then  into  a 
room  where  the  prisoner,  on  first  entering, 
had  heard  the  roar  of  water. 

"  What's  this  you  have.  A  turbine?  Does 
it  give  you  any  power?  ' 

"  Oh,  it  gives  power  enough,"  said  the 
Governor. 

"  Let's  see  how  you  turn  on  the  stream." 

The  Governor  set  the  turbine  at  work,  and 
the  dynamo  began  to  hum,  a  sound  which,  to 
the  educated  ear  of  Lermontoff,  told  him  sev- 
eral things. 

"  That's  all  right,  Governor,  turn  it  off. 
This  is  a  somewhat  old-fashioned  dynamo,  but 
it  ought  to  give  you  all  the  light  you  can  use. 
You  must  be  a  natural  born  electrician,  or 
you  never  could  have  got  this  machinery  work- 
ing as  well  as  it  does." 

The  dull  eyes  of  the  Governor  glowed  for 
one  brief  moment,  then  resumed  their  custom- 
ary expression  of  saddened  tiredness. 

"  Now,"  said  Jack,  throwing  off  his  coat, 
"  I  want  a  wrench,  screwdriver,  hammer  and 
a  pair  of  pincers  if  you've  got  them." 

"  Here  is  the  tool  chest,"  said  the  Governor, 
and  Jack  found  all  he  needed.  Bidding  the 
Governor  hold  the  candle  here,  there  and  else- 
where, and  ordering  the  gaoler  about  as  if  he 


260  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

were  an  apprentice,  Jack  set  energetically  to 
work,  and  for  half  an  hour  no  one  spoke. 

"  Turn  on  that  water  again,"  he  com- 
manded. 

The  Governor  did  so,  and  the  machine 
whirred  with  quite  a  different  note.  Half  a 
dozen  electric  lamps  in  the  room  flooded  the 
place  with  a  dazzling  white  glow. 

"  There  you  are,"  cried  Jack,  rubbing  the 
oil  off  his  hands  on  a  piece  of  coarse  sacking. 
41  Now,  Tommy,  put  these  things  back  in  the 
tool  chest,"  he  said  to  the  gaoler.  Then  to  the 
Governor : 

' '  Let's  see  how  things  look  in  the  big  room. " 

The  passage  was  lit,  and  the  Governor's 
room  showed  every  mark  on  wall,  ceiling  and 
floor. 

"  I  told  you,  Governor,"  said  Jack  with  a 
laugh,  "  that  I  didn't  know  why  I  was  sent 
here,  but  now  I  understand.  Providence  took 
pity  on  you,  and  ordered  me  to  strike  a  light. ' ' 

At  that  moment  the  gaoler  entered  with  his 
jingling  keys,  and  the  enthusiastic  expression 
faded  from  the  Governor's  face,  leaving  it 
once  more  coldly  impassive,  but  he  spoke  in 
German  instead  of  Eussian. 

"  I  am  very  much  indebted  to  your  High- 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  261 

ness,  and  it  grieves  me  that  our  relationship 
remains  unchanged." 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right,"  cried  Lermontoff 
breezily.  "  If  it  is  within  your  power  to  allow 
me  to  come  and  give  you  some  lessons  in  elec- 
tricity and  the  care  of  dynamos,  I  shall  be 
very  glad  to  do  so." 

To  this  offer  the  Governor  made  no  reply, 
but  he  went  on  still  in  German. 

"  I  shall  transfer  you  to  cell  Number  One, 
which  is  not  only  more  comfortable,  but  the 
water  there  is  pure.  Did  you  say  you  spoke 
English?  " 

"  Yes,  quite  as  well  as  I  do  Russian." 

The  Governor  continued,  with  nevertheless 
a  little  hesitation:  "  On  the  return  of  the 
steamer  there  will  be  an  English  prisoner.  I 
will  give  him  cell  Number  Two,  and  if  you 
don't  talk  so  loud  that  the  gaoler  hears  you,  it 
may  perhaps  make  the  day  less  wearisome." 

"  You  are  very  kind,"  said  Jack,  rigidly 
suppressing  any  trace  of  either  emotion  or  in- 
terest as  he  heard  the  intelligence ;  leaping  at 
once  to  certain  conclusions,  nevertheless.  "  I 
shan't  ask  for  anything  more,  much  as  I 
should  like  to  mention  candles,  matches,  and 
tobacco." 

"It  is  possible  you  may  find  all  three  in 


262  A  ROCK  IN  THE   BALTIC 

Number  One  before  this  time  to-morrow;  ' 
then  in  Russian  the  Governor  said  to  the 
goaler : 

"  See  if  Number  One  is  ready." 

The  gaoler  departed,  and  the  Governor, 
throwing  open  a  drawer  in  his  table,  took  out 
two  candles,  a  box  of  matches,  and  a  packet 
of  cigarettes. 

1 1  Put  these  in  your  pocket, ' '  he  said.  ' '  The 
cell  door  opens  very  slowly,  so  you  will  always 
know  when  the  gaoler  is  coming.  In  that  case 
blow  out  your  light  and  conceal  your  candle. 
It  will  last  the  longer." 

The  gaoler  returned. 

"  The  cell  is  ready,  Excellency,"  he  said. 

"  Take  away  the  prisoner,"  commanded  the 
Governor,  gruffly. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

CELL  NUMBER  ONE 

CELL  Number  One  was  a  great  improvement 
on  Number  Nine.  There  was  no  shelf  of  rock, 
or  stone  bench,  but  a  cot  bed  in  the  corner,  a 
table,  and  a  wooden  chair.  The  living  spring 
issued  from  the  living  rock  in  a  corner  of  the 
room.  When  the  gaoler  and  his  assistant  had 
retired  and  shoved  in  the  outside  bolts,  Jack 
lit  his  candle  and  a  cigarette,  feeling  almost 
happy.  He  surveyed  the  premises  now  with 
more  care.  The  bed  was  of  iron  and  fastened 
to  the  floor.  On  the  top  of  it  was  a  mattress, 
a  pillow,  and  a  pair  of  blankets.  At  its  head 
a  little  triangular  shelf  of  rock  had  been  left 
in  the  corner,  and  on  this  reposed  a  basin  of 
tin,  while  a  coarse  piece  of  sacking  took  the 
place  of  a  towel.  Jack  threw  off  his  overcoat 
and  flung  it  on  the  bed,  intent  on  a  satisfactory 
wash.  He  heard  something  jingle  in  the  pock- 
ets, and  forgetting  for  the  moment  what  it 
could  possibly  be,  thrust  his  hand  in,  and 
pulled  out  a  glass-stoppered  bottle  of  ozak. 


264  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

He  held  it  out  at  arm's  length,  and  stared  at 
it  for  some  moments  like  a  man  hypnotized* 

"  Holy  Saint  Peter!  "  he  cried,  "  to  think 
that  I  should  have  forgotten  this !  ' 

He  filled  the  tin  basin  with  water,  and 
placed  it  on  the  table.  Again  he  dissolved  a 
minute  portion  of  the  chemical,  and  again 
filled  the  syringe. 

"  I  must  leave  no  marks  on  the  wall  that 
may  arouse  attention,"  he  said,  and  taking  the 
full  syringe  to  the  arch  over  the  torrent,  and 
placing  the  candle  on  the  floor  beside  him,  he 
gently  pushed  in  the  piston.  The  spray  struck 
the  rock,  and  the  rock  dissolved  slightly  but 
perceptibly.  Coming  back  to  the  table  he  stood 
for  a  few  minutes  in  deep  thought.  Although 
the  cot  bed  was  fixed  to  the  floor,  and  although 
it  was  possible  that  the  shelf  in  the  next  cell 
coincided  with  its  position,  the  risk  of  discov- 
ery was  too  great  to  cut  a  passage  between  the 
two  cells  there.  The  obvious  spot  to  attack 
was  the  interior  of  the  tunnel  through  which 
the  streamlet  ran,  but  Jack,  testing  the  tem- 
perature of  the  water  with  his  hand,  doubted 
his  physical  ability  to  remain  in  that  ice-cold 
current  more  than  a  few  minutes  at  a  time, 
and  if  he  worked  in  the  tunnel  he  would  be  all 
but  submerged.  He  feared  he  would  perish 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  265 

with  cold  and  cramp  before  he  had  made  any 
impression  on  the  rock. 

To  the  edge  of  the  stream  he  drew  the  table, 
and,  mounting  it,  examined  the  upper  orifice 
through  which  the  water  escaped  when  the 
cell  was  full.  He  found  he  could  stand  on  the 
table  and  work  in  comfort  until  he  had  exca- 
vated sufficient  rock  to  allow  him  to  clamber 
into  the  upper  tunnel  and  so  continue  his 
operations.  The  water  he  used  would  flow 
through  the  tunnel,  and  down  to  the  main 
stream  in  the  next  cell.  All  he  had  to  do  was 
to  dissolve  a  semi-circular  hole  in  the  rock 
that  would  bend  round  the  end  of  those  steel 
bars,  and  enter  the  tunnel  again  on  the  other 
side.  Eager  to  be  at  work,  he  took  the  full 
basin,  shoved  it  far  along  the  tunnel  until  it 
was  stopped  by  the  bars,  then,  placing  his  can- 
dle beside  it,  and  standing  on  the  table,  he 
began  operations. 

The  limestone,  under  the  influence  of  the 
spray,  dissolved  very  slowly,  and  by  the  time 
the  basin  of  water  was  exhausted,  all  the  effect 
visible  under  the  light  of  the  candle  was  an 
exceedingly  slight  circular  impression  which 
was  barely  visible  to  the  naked  eye. 

"  I  must  make  the  solution  stronger,  I 
think,"  he  said,  grievously  disappointed  at  the 


266  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

outcome  of  Ms  labors,  and  as  lie  looked  at  it 
lie  heard  the  clank  of  the  withdrawing  bolts. 
Blowing  out  the  candle  he  sprang  to  the  floor 
of  the  cell,  picked  up  the  table,  set  it  down  in 
the  center  of  the  room,  groped  for  the  chair, 
and  sat  down,  his  heart  palpitating  wildly  at 
the  fear  of  discovery. 

Followed  as  usual  by  the  man  with  the  lan- 
tern, the  gaoler  came  in,  carrying  a  bowl  of  hot 
steaming  soup,  which  he  placed  on  the  table, 
then  he  took  from  his  pocket  a  spoon,  a  small 
hunk  of  black  bread,  and  a  piece  of  cheese.  In 
the  light  of  the  lantern  Lermontoff:  consulted 
his  watch,  and  found  it  was  six  o'clock.  The 
gaoler  took  the  lantern  from  his  assistant,  held 
it  high,  and  looked  round  the  room,  while  Ler- 
montoff  gazed  at  him  in  anxiety,  wondering 
whether  that  brutal  looking  official  suspected 
anything.  Apparently  he  did  not,  but  merely 
wished  to  satisfy  himself  that  everything  was 
in  order,  for  he  said  more  mildly  than  he  had 
hitherto  spoken: 

1 '  It  is  a  long  time  since  any  one  occupied 
this  cell." 

Then  his  eye  rested  on  the  vacant  corner 
shelf. 

"  Ah,  Excellency,"  he  continued,  "  pardon 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  267 

me,  I  have  forgotten.  I  must  bring  you  a 
basin." 

"I'd  rather  you  brought  me  a  candle,"  said 
Lermontoff  nonchalantly,  although  his  lips 
were  dry,  and  he  moistened  them  as  he  spoke ; 
then,  to  learn  whether  money  was  valueless  on 
the  rock,  as  the  Governor  had  intimated,  he 
drew  from  his  pocket  one  of  the  remaining 
gold  pieces,  glad  that  he  happened  to  have  so 
many,  and  slipped  it  into  the  palm  of  the 
gaoler's  hand,  whose  fingers  clutched  it  as 
eagerly  as  if  he  were  in  St.  Petersburg. 

"  I  think  a  candle  can  be  managed,  Excel- 
lency. Shall  I  bring  a  cup?  ' 

"I  wish  you  would." 

The  door  was  again  locked  and  bolted,  but 
before  Lermontoff  had  finished  his  soup,  and 
bread  and  cheese,  it  was  opened  again.  The 
gaoler  placed  a  tin  basin,  similar  to  the  former 
one,  on  the  ledge,  put  a  candle  and  a  candle- 
stick on  the  table,  and  a  tin  cup  beside  them. 

"  I  thought  there  was  no  part  of  Russia 
where  bribery  was  extinct,"  said  the  Prince 
to  himself,  as  the  door  closed  again  for  the 
night. 

After  supper  Lermontoff  again  shifted  his 
table,  stood  upon  it,  lit  his  candle,  and  resumed 
Ms  tunnelling,  working  hard  until  after  mid- 


268  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

night.  His  progress  was  deplorably  slow,  and 
the  spraying  of  the  rock  proved  about  as  tir- 
ing a  task  as  ever  he  had  undertaken.  His 
second  basin-full  of  solution  was  made  a  little 
stronger,  but  without  perceptible  improvement 
in  its  effect.  On  ceasing  operations  for  the 
night  he  found  himself  in  a  situation  common 
to  few  prisoners,  that  of  being  embarrassed 
with  riches.  He  possessed  two  basins,  and  one 
of  them  must  be  concealed.  Of  course  he 
might  leave  his  working  basin  in  the  upper 
tunnel  where  it  had  rested  when  the  gaoler  had 
brought  in  his  supper,  but  he  realized  that  at 
any  moment  the  lantern's  rays  might  strike 
its  shining  surface,  and  so  bring  on  an  investi- 
gation of  the  upper  tunnel,  certain  to  prove 
the  destruction  of  his  whole  scheme.  A  few 
minutes  thought,  however,  solved  the  problem 
admirably:  he  placed  the  basin  face  down- 
wards in  the  rapid  stream  which  swept  it  to 
the  iron  bars  between  the  two  cells,  and  there 
it  lay  quite  concealed  with  the  swift  water  rip- 
pling over  it.  This  done,  he  flung  off  his 
clothes,  and  got  into  Bed,  not  awakening  until 
the  gaoler  and  his  assistant  brought  in  bread, 
cheese  and  coffee  for  breakfast. 

The  next  day  he  began  to  feel  the  inconven- 
iences   of    the    Governor's    friendship,    and 


A  BOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  269 

wished  he  were  safely  back  to  the  time  when 
one  loaf  lasted  four  days,  for  if  such  were  now 
the  case,  he  would  be  free  of  the  constant  state 
of  tension  which  the  ever-recurring  visits  of 
the  gaoler  caused.  He  feared  that  some  day 
he  might  become  so  absorbed  in  his  occupation 
that  he  would  not  hear  the  withdrawing  of  the 
bolt,  and  thus,  as  it  were,  be  caught  in  the  act. 

Shortly  after  lunch  the  Governor  sent  for 
him,  and  asked  many  questions  pertaining  to 
the  running  of  the  dynamo.  Lermontoff  con- 
cealed his  impatience,  and  set  about  his  in- 
structions with  exemplary  earnestness.  Rus- 
sian text  books  on  electricity  at  hand  were  of 
the  most  rudimentary  description,  and  al- 
though the  Governor  could  speak  German  he 
could  not  read  it,  so  the  two  volumes  he 
possessed  in  that  language  were  closed  to  him. 
Therefore  John  was  compelled  to  begin  at  the 
very  A  B  C  of  the  science. 

The  Governor,  however,  became  so  deeply 
interested  that  he  momentarily  forgot  his 
caution,  unlocked  a  door,  and  took  Lermontoff 
into  a  room  which  he  saw  was  the  armory  and 
ammunition  store-house  of  the  prison.  On  the 
floor  of  this  chamber  the  Governor  pointed  out 
a  large  battery  of  accumulators,  and  asked 
what  they  were  for.  Lermontoff  explained  the 


270  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

purposes  of  the  battery,  meanwhile  examining 
it  thoroughly,  and  finding  that  many  of  the 
cells  had  been  all  but  ruined  in  transit, 
through  the  falling  away  of  the  composition 
in  the  grids.  Something  like  half  of  the  accu- 
mulators, however,  were  intact  and  workable ; 
these  he  uncoupled  and  brought  into  the  dyna- 
mo room,  where  he  showed  the  Governor  the 
process  of  charging.  He  saw  in  the  store  room 
a  box  containing  incandescent  lamps,  coils  of 
silk-covered  wire  and  other  material  that 
made  his  eyes  glisten  with  delight.  He  spoke 
in  German. 

"  If  you  will  give  me  a  coil  of  this  wire,  one 
or  two  of  the  lamps,  and  an  accumulator,  or 
indeed  half  a  dozen  of  them,  I  will  trouble 
you  no  more  for  candles." 

The  Governor  did  not  reply  at  the  moment, 
but  a  short  time  after  asked  LermontofE  in 
Russian  how  long  it  would  be  before  the  accu- 
mulators were  charged.  Lermontoff  stated 
the  time,  and  the  Governor  told  the  gaoler  to 
bring  the  prisoner  from  the  cell  at  that  hour, 
and  so  dismissed  his  instructor. 

One  feature  of  this  interview  which  pleased 
Lermontoff:  was  that  however  much  the  Gov- 
ernor became  absorbed  in  these  lessons,  he 
never  allowed  himself  to  remain  alone  with 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  271 

his  prisoner.  It  was  evident  that  in  his  cooler 
moments  the  Governor  had  instructed  the 
gaoler  and  his  assistant  to  keep  ever  at  the 
heels  of  the  Prince  and  always  on  the  alert. 
Two  huge  revolvers  were  thrust  underneath 
the  belt  of  the  gaoler,  and  the  lantern-holder 
was  similarly  armed.  Lermontoff  was  pleased 
with  this,  for  if  the  Governor  had  trusted  him 
entirely,  even  though  he  demanded  no  verbal 
parole,  it  would  have  gone  against  his  grain 
to  strike  down  the  chief  as  he  ruthlessly  in- 
tended to  do  when  the  time  was  ripe  for  it, 
and  in  any  case,  he  told  himself,  no  matter 
how  friendly  the  Governor  might  be,  he  had 
the  misfortune  to  stand  between  his  prisoner 
and  liberty. 

Lermontoff  was  again  taken  from  his  cell 
about  half  an  hour  before  the  time  he  had 
named  for  the  completion  of  the  charging,  and 
although  the  Governor  said  nothing  of  his  in- 
tention, the  gaoler  and  his  man  brought  to  the 
cell  six  charged  batteries,  a  coil  of  wire,  and 
a  dozen  lamps.  Lermontoff  now  changed  his 
working  methods.  He  began  each  night  as 
soon  as  he  had  finished  dinner,  and  worked  till 
nearly  morning,  sleeping  all  day  except  when 
interrupted  by  the  gaoler.  Jack,  following  the 
example  of  Robinson  Crusoe,  attempted  to  tie 


272  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

knots  on  the  tail  of  time  by  cutting  notches 
with  his  knife  on  the  leg  of  the  table,  but  most 
days  he  forgot  to  perform  this  operation,  and 
so  his  wooden  almanac  fell  hopelessly  out  of 
gear.  He  estimated  that  he  had  been  a  little 
more  than  a  week  in  prison  when  he  heard  by 
the  clang  of  the  bolts  that  the  next  cell  was  to 
have  an  occupant. 

"  I  must  prepare  a  welcome  for  him,"  he 
said,  and  so  turned  out  the  electric  light  at 
the  end  of  the  long  flexible  wire.  He  had  ar- 
ranged a  neat  little  switch  of  the  accumulator, 
and  so  snapped  the  light  on  and  off  at  his 
pleasure,  without  the  trouble  of  unscrewing 
the  nuts  which  held  in  place  one  of  the  copper 
ends  of  the  wire.  Going  to  the  edge  of  the 
stream  and  lighting  his  candle,  he  placed  the 
glass  bulb  in  the  current,  paid  out  the  flexible 
line  attached  to  it,  and  allowed  the  bulb  to 
run  the  risk  of  being  smashed  against  the  iron 
bars  of  the  passage,  but  the  little  globe  ne- 
gotiated the  rapids  without  even  a  perceptible 
clink,  and  came  to  rest  in  the  bed  of  the  torrent 
somewhere  about  the  center  of  the  next  cell, 
tugging  like  a  fish  on  a  hook.  Then  Jack 
mounted  the  table,  leaned  into  the  upper  tun- 
nel, and  listened. 

"  I  protest,"  Drummond  cried,  speaking 


A  BOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  273 

loudly,  as  if  the  volume  of  sound  would  convey 
meaning  to  alien  ears,  "  I  protest  against  this 
as  an  outrage,  and  demand  my  right  of  com- 
munication with  the  British  Ambassador." 

Jack  heard  the  gaoler  growl:  "  This  loaf 
of  bread  will  last  you  for  four  days,"  but  as 
this  statement  was  made  in  Russian,  it  con- 
veyed no  more  meaning  to  the  Englishman 
than  had  his  own  protest  of  a  moment  before 
brought  intelligence  to  the  gaoler.  The  door 
clanged  shut,  and  there  followed  a  dead 
silence. 

"  Now  we  ought  to  hear  some  good  old  Brit- 
ish oaths,"  said  Jack  to  himself,  but  the  silence 
continued. 

"  Hullo,  Alan,"  cried  Jack  through  the 
bars,  "  I  said  you  would  be  nabbed  if  you 
didn't  leave  St.  Petersburg.  You'll  pay  atten- 
tion to  me  next  time  I  warn  you." 

There  was  no  reply,  and  Jack  became 
alarmed  at  the  continued  stillness,  then  he 
heard  his  friend  mutter : 

"  I  '11  be  seeing  visions  by  and  by.  I  thought 
my  brain  was  stronger  than  it  is — could  have 
sworn  that  was  Jack's  voice." 

Jack  got  speedily  and  quietly  down,  turned 
on  the  switch,  and  hopped  up  on  the  table 
again,  peering  through.  He  knew  that  the 

18 


274  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

stream  had  now  become  a  river  of  fire,  and 
that  it  was  sending  to  the  ceiling  an  unholy, 
unearthly  glow. 

"  Oh,  damn  it  all!  "  groaned  Drummond,  at 
which  Jack  roared  with  laughter. 

"  Alan,"  he  shouted,  "  fish  out  that  electric 
bulb  from  the  creek  and  hold  it  aloft;  then 
you'll  see  where  you  are.  I'm  in  the  next  cell ; 
Jack  Lamont,  Electrician  and  Coppersmith: 
all  orders  promptly  attended  to:  best  of  ref- 
erences, and  prices  satisfactory." 

"  Jack,  is  that  really  you,  or  have  I  gone 
demented?  " 

"  Oh,  you  always  were  demented,  Alan,  but 
it  is  I,  right  enough.  Pick  up  the  light  and 
tell  me  what  kind  of  a  cell  you've  got." 

"  Horrible!  "  cried  Drummond,  surveying 
his  situation.  "  Walls  apparently  of  solid 
rock,  and  this  uncanny  stream  running  across 
the  floor." 

"  How  are  you  furnished?  Shelf  of  rock, 
stone  bench?  ' 

"  No,  there's  a  table,  cot  bed,  and  a  wooden 
chair." 

"  Why,  my  dear  man,  what  are  you  growl- 
ing about?  They  have  given  you  one  of  the 
best  rooms  in  the  hotel.  You're  in  the  Star 
Chamber." 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  275 

"  Where  in  the  name  of  heaven  are  we?  ' 
"  Didn't  you  recognize  the  rock  from  the 
deck  of  a  steamer?  ' 
"  I  never  saw  the  deck  of  a  steamer." 
"  Then  how  did  you  come  here?  ' 
"  I  was  writing  a  letter  in  my  room  when 
someone  threw  a  sack  over  my  head}  and  tied 
me  up  in  a  bundle,  so  that  it  was  a  close  shave 
I  wasn't  smothered.    I  was  taken  in  what  I 
suppose  was  a  cab  and  flung  into  what  I  after- 
wards learned  was  the  hold  of  a  steamer. 
When  the  ship  stopped,  I  was  carried  like  a 
sack  of  meal  on  someone's  shoulder,  and  un- 
hampered before  a  gaunt  specter  in  uniform, 
in  a  room  so  dazzling  with  electric  light  that 
I  could  hardly  see.    That  was  a  few  minutes 
ago.    Now  I  am  here,  and  starving.    .Where 
is  this  prison  ?  ' 

"  Like  the  Mikado,  as  Kate  would  say,  the 
authorities  are  bent  on  making  the  punish- 
ment fit  the  crime.  You  are  in  the  rock  of  the 
Baltic,  which  you  fired  at  with  that  gun  of 
yours.  I  told  you  those  suave  officials  at  St. 
Petersburg  were  playing  with  you." 

"  But  why  have  they  put  you  here,  Jack?  ' 
"  Oh,  I  was  like  the  good  dog  Tray,  who 
associated  with  questionable  company,  I  sup- 
pose, and  thus  got  into  trouble." 


276  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  I'm  sorry." 

"  You  ought  to  be  glad.  I'm  going  to  get 
out  of  this  place,  and  I  don't  believe  you  could 
break  gaol,  unassisted,  in  twenty  years.  Here 
is  where  science  confronts  brutality.  I  say, 
Drummond,  bring  your  table  over  to  the  cor- 
ner, and  mount  it,  then  we  can  talk  without 
shouting.  Not  much  chance  of  any  one  outside 
hearing  us,  even  if  we  do  clamor,  but  this  is 
a  damp  situation,  and  loud  talk  is  bad  for  the 
throat.  Cut  a  slice  of  that  brown  bread  and 
lunch  with  me.  You'll  find  it  not  half  bad, 
as  you  say  in  England,  especially  when  you 
are  hungry.  Now,"  continued  Jack,  as  his 
friend  stood  opposite  him,  and  they  found  by 
experiment  that  their  combined  reach  was  not 
long  enough  to  enable  them  to  shake  hands 
through  the  bars,  "  now,  while  you  are  luxur- 
iating in  the  menu  of  the  Trogzmondoff,  I'll 
give  you  a  sketch  of  my  plan  for  escape. ' ' 

"  Do,"  said  Drumond. 

"  I  happen  to  have  with  me  a  pair  of  bottles 
containing  a  substance  which,  if  dissolved  in 
water,  and  sprinkled  on  this  rock,  will  disin- 
tegrate it.  It  proves  rather  slow  work,  I  must 
admit,  but  I  intend  to  float  in  to  you  one  of 
the  bottles,  and  the  apparatus,  so  that  you 
may  help  me  on  your  side,  which  plan  has  the 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  277 

advantage  of  giving  you  useful  occupation, 
and  allowing  us  to  complete  our  task  in  half 
the  time,  like  the  engineers  on  each  side  of  the 
Simplon  Tunnel. ' ' 

"  If  there  are  bars  in  the  lower  water- 
course," objected  Drummond,  "  won't  you 
run  a  risk  of  breaking  your  bottle  against 
them?  " 

"  Not  the  slightest.  I  have  just  sent  that 
much  thinner  electric  lamp  through,  but  in 
this  case  I'll  just  tie  up  the  bottle  and  squirt 
gun  in  my  stocking,  attach  that  to  the  wire, 
and  the  current  will  do  the  rest.  You  can 
unload,  and  I'll  pull  my  stocking  back  again. 
If  I  dared  wrench  off  a  table  leg,  I  could  per- 
haps shove  bottle  and  syringe  through  to  you 
from  here,  but  the  material  would  come  to  a 
dead  center  in  the  middle  of  this  tunnel,  unless 
I  had  a  stick  to  push  it  within  your  reach. 

"  Very  well;  we'll  work  away  until  our  ex- 
cavation connects,  and  we  have  made  it  of  suf- 
ficient diameter  for  you  to  squeeze  through. 
You  are  then  in  my  cell.  We  put  out  our 
lights,  and  you  conceal  yourself  behind  the 
door.  Gaoler  and  man  with  the  lantern  come 
in.  You  must  be  very  careful  not  to  close  the 
door,  because  if  you  once  shove  it  shut  we  can't 
open  it  from  this  side,  even  though  it  is  un- 


278  A   ROCK   IX   THE   BALTIC 

locked  and  the  bolts  drawn.  It  fits  like  wax, 
and  almost  hermetically  seals  the  room.  You 
spring  forward,  and  deal  the  gaoler  with  your 
fist  one  of  your  justly  celebrated  English 
knock-down  blows,  Immediately  after  felling 
the  man  with  the  lantern.  Knowing  some- 
thing of  the  weight  of  your  blow,  I  take  it 
that  neither  of  the  two  men  will  recover  con- 
sciousness until  we  have  taken  off  their  outer 
garments,  secured  revolvers  and  keys.  Then 
we  lock  them  in,  you  and  I  on  the  outside. ' ' 

"  My  dear  Jack,  we  don't  need  any  tunnel 
to  accomplish  that.  The  first  time  these  two 
men  come  into  my  room,  I  can  knock  them 
down  as  easily  here  as  there." 

' '  I  thought  of  that,  and  perhaps  you  could, 
but  you  must  remember  we  have  only  one  shot. 
If  you  made  a  mistake;  if  the  lantern  man 
bolted  and  fired  his  pistol,  and  once  closed  the 
door — he  would  not  need  to  pause  to  lock  it — 
why,  we  are  done  for.  I  should  be  perfectly 
helpless  in  the  next  room,  and  after  the  at- 
tempt they'd  either  drown  us,  or  put  us  into 
worse  cells  as  far  apart  as  possible." 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  miss  fire,"  said 
Drummond,  confidently,  "  still,  I  see  the 
point,  and  will  obey  orders." 

"  My  official  position  on  the  rock,  ever  since 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  279 

I  arrived,  has  been  that  of  electrical  tutor-in- 
chief  to  the  Governor.  I  have  started  his  dy- 
namo working,  and  have  wired  such  portions 
of  the  place  as  were  not  already  wired  before. 
During  these  lessons  I  have  kept  my  eyes 
open.  So  far  as  the  prison  is  concerned,  there 
is  the  Governor,  a  sort  of  head  clerk,  the  gaoler 
and  his  assistant;  four  men,  and  that  is  all. 
The  gaoler's  assistant  appears  to  be  the  cook 
of  the  place,  although  the  cooking  done  is  of 
the  most  limited  description.  The  black  bread 
is  brought  from  St.  Petersburg,  I  think,  as 
also  tinned  meat  and  soup;  so  the  cuisine  is 
on  a  somewhat  limited  scale." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  only  these  four 
men  are  in  charge  of  the  prison  ?  ' 

"  Practically  so,  but  there  is  the  garrison 
as  well.  The  soldiers  live  in  a  suite  of  rooms 
directly  above  us,  and  as  near  as  I  can  form 
an  opinion,  there  .are  fourteen  men  and  two 
officers.  When  a  steamer  arrives  they  draft 
as  many  soldiers  as  are  necessary,  unload  the 
boat;  then  the  Tommies  go  upstairs  again. 
The  military  section  apparently  holds  little 
intercourse  with  the  officials,  whom  they  look 
upon  as  gaolers.  I  should  judge  that  the  mili- 
tary officer  is  chief  of  the  rock,  because  when 
he  found  the  Governor's  room  lit  by  electric- 


280  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

ity,  he  demanded  the  same  for  his  quarters. 
That's  how  I  came  to  get  upstairs.  Now,  these 
stairs  are  hewn  in  the  rock,  are  circular, 
guarded  by  heavy  oaken  doors  top  and  bottom, 
and  these  doors  possess  steel  bolts  on  both 
sides  of  them.  It  is  thus  possible  for  either 
the  military  authorities  upstairs,  or  the  civil 
authorities,  to  isolate  themselves  from  the 
others.  In  case  of  a  revolt  among  the  soldiers, 
the  Governor  could  bolt  them  into  their  attic, 
and  they  would  find  great  difficulty  in  getting 
out.  Now,  my  plan  of  procedure  is  this.  We 
will  disarm  gaoler  and  assistant,  take  their 
keys,  outside  garments  and  caps.  The  gaoler's 
toggery  will  fit  you,  and  the  other  fellow's  may 
do  for  me.  Then  we  will  lock  them  in  here, 
and  if  we  meet  clerk  or  Governor  in  the  pas- 
sages we  will  have  time  to  overcome  either  or 
both  before  they  are  aware  of  the  change.  I'll 
go  up  the  circular  stair,  bolt  from  the  inside 
the  upper  door,  and  afterwards  bolt  the  lower 
door.  Then  we  open  all  the  cells,  and  release 
the  other  prisoners,  descend  from  the  rock,  get 
into  the  Finnish  fishing  boat,  keep  clear  of  the 
two  cannon  that  are  up  above  us,  and  sail  for 
the  Swedish  coast.  We  can't  miss  it;  we  have 
only  to  travel  west,  and  ultimately  we  are 
safe.  There  is  only  one  danger,  which  is  that 


A  BOCK  IN   THE   BALTIC  281 

we  may  make  our  attempt  when  the  steamer 
is  here,  but  we  must  chance  that." 

"  Isn't  there  any  way  of  finding  out? 
Couldn't  you  pump  the  Governor?  ' 

"  He  is  always  very  much  on  his  guard,  and 
is  a  taciturn  man.  The  moment  the  tunnel  is 
finished  I  shall  question  him  about  some  fur- 
ther electrical  material,  and  then  perhaps  I 
may  get  a  hint  about  the  steamer.  I  imagine 
she  comes  irregularly,  so  the  only  safe  plan 
would  be  for  us  to  make  our  attempt  just  after 
she  had  departed.'* 

"  Would  there  be  any  chance  of  our  find- 
ing a  number  of  the  military  downstairs?  ' 

"  I  don't  think  so.  Now  that  they  have 
their  electric  light  they  spend  their  time  play- 
ing cards  and  drinking  vodka." 

"  Very  well,  Jack,  that  scheme  seems  rea- 
sonably feasible.  Now,  get  through  your  ma- 
terial to  me,  and  issue  your  instructions." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

"  STONE  WALLS  DO  NOT  A  PRISON  MAKE  " 

IN  a  very  short  time  Drummond  became  as 
expert  at  the  rock  dissolving  as  was  his  friend. 
He  called  it  piffling  slow  work,  but  was  never- 
theless extremely  industrious  at  it,  although 
days  and  weeks  and,  as  they  suspected, 
months,  passed  before  the  hands  of  the  two 
friends  met  in  the  center  of  the  rock.  One 
lucky  circumstance  that  favored  them  was  the 
habit  of  the  gaoler  in  visiting  Drummond  only 
once  every  four  days. 

The  Lieutenant  made  his  difficult  passage, 
squeezing  through  the  newly  completed  tunnel 
half  an  hour  after  a  loaf  had  been  set  upon 
his  table.  Jack  knew  that  the  steamer  had 
recently  departed,  because,  two  days  before, 
the  Governor  had  sent  for  him,  and  had  ex- 
hibited a  quantity  of  material  recently  landed, 
among  other  things  a  number  of  electric  bells 
and  telephones  which  the  Governor  was  going 
to  have  set  up  between  himself  and  the  offi- 
cers, and  also  between  his  room  and  that  of  the 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  283 

clerk  and  gaoler.  There  were  dry  batteries, 
and  primary  batteries,  and  many  odds  and 
ends,  which  made  Jack  almost  sorry  he  was 
leaving  the  place. 

Heavy  steps,  muffled  by  the  thickness  of  the 
door,  sounded  along  the  outer  passage. 

"  Ready?  "  whispered  Jack.  "  Here  they 
come.  Remember  if  you  miss  your  first  blow, 
we're  goners,  you  and  I." 

Drummond  made  no  reply,  for  the  steps 
had  come  perilously  near  and  he  feared  to 
be  heard.  Noiselessly  he  crossed  the  cell  and 
took  up  his  position  against  the  wall,  just 
clear  of  the  space  that  would  be  covered  by 
the  opening  of  the  door. 

At  the  same  moment  Jack  switched  off  the 
light,  leaving  the  room  black.  Each  of  the 
two  waiting  prisoners  could  hear  the  other's 
short  breathing  through  the  darkness. 

On  came  the  shuffling  footsteps  of  the 
gaoler  and  lantern-bearer.  They  had  reached 
the  door  of  Number  One,  had  paused,  had 
passed  on  and  stopped  in  front  of  Number 
Two. 

"  Your  cell! "  whispered  Jack,  panic- 
stricken.  "  And  they  weren't  due  to  look  in 
on  you  for  four  days.  It's  all  up!  They'll 
discover  the  cell  is  empty  and  give  the — 


284  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

Where  are  you  going,  man?  "  tie  broke  off, 
as  Drummond,  leaving  his  place  near  the 
door,  groped  his  way  hurriedly  along  the  wall. 

"  To  squeeze  my  way  back  and  make  a 
fight  for  it.  It's  better  than " 

"Wait!  " 

Lamont's  hand  was  on  his  shoulder,  and  he 
whispered  a  sharp  command  for  silence.  The 
two  attendants  had  halted  in  front  of  Num- 
ber Two,  and  while  the  lantern-bearer  fumbled 
with  the  awkward  bolt,  his  companion  was 
saying : 

"  Hold  on!  After  all,  I'll  bring  the  other 
his  food  first,  I  think." 

"  But,"  remonstrated  the  lantern-bearer, 
"  the  Governor  said  we  were  to  bring  the 
Englishman  to  him  at  once." 

"  What  if  he  did?  How  will  he  know  we 
stole  a  half  minute  to  give  the  Prince  his 
dinner?  If  we  bring  the  Englishman  up- 
stairs first,  the  Prince  may  have  to  wait  an 
hour  before  we  can  get  back  with  the  English- 


man.' 


"  Let  him  wait,  then." 

"  With  his  pocket  full  of  roubles?  Not  I. 
He  may  decide  to  give  no  more  of  his  gold 
pieces  to  a  gaoler  who  lets  him  go  hungry  too 
long." 


u 

and 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  285 

I've     got    the     door    unfastened    now 


"  Then  fasten  it  again  and  come  back  with 
me  to  Number  One." 

Faint  as  were  the  words,  deadened  by  in- 
tervening walls,  their  purport  reached  Jack. 

"  Back  to  your  place,"  he  whispered, 
"  they're  coming!  ' 

The  rattle  of  bolts  followed  close  on  his 
words.  The  great  door  of  Number  One 
swung  ponderously  inward.  The  lantern- 
bearer,  holding  his  light  high  in  front  of  him, 
entered ;  then  stepped  to  one  side  to  admit  the 
gaoler,  who  came  close  after,  the  tray  of  food 
in  his  outstretched  hands. 

Unluckily  for  the  captives'  plan,  it  was  to 
the  side  of  the  cell  opposite  to  that  where 
Alan  crouched  that  the  lantern-bearer  had 
taken  his  stand.  There  was  no  way  of  reach- 
ing him  at  a  bound.  The  open  door  stood  be- 
tween. Were  the  gaoler  to  be  attacked  first, 
his  fellow-attendant  could  readily  be  out  of 
the  cell  and  half-way  up  the  corridor  before 
Alan  might  hope  to  reach  him. 

The  friends  had  counted  on  both  men  en- 
tering the  room  together  and  crossing  as 
usual  to  the  table.  This  change  of  plan  dis- 
concerted them.  Already  the  gaoler  had  set 


286  A  BOCK   IN   THE   BALTIC 

down  his  tray  and  was  turning  toward  the 
door.  Alan,  helpless,  stood  impotently  in  the 
shadow,  biting  his  blond  mustache  with  help- 
less rage.  In  another  second  their  cherished 
opportunity  would  vanish.  And,  as  the 
gaoler's  next  visit  was  to  be  to  Number  Two, 
discovery  stared  them  in  the  eyes. 

It  was  Jack  who  broke  the  momentary 
spell  of  apathy.  He  was  standing  at  the  far 
end  of  the  cell,  near  the  stream. 

"  Here!  "  he  called  sharply  to  the  lantern- 
bearer,  "  bring  your  light.  My  electric  ap- 
paratus is  out  of  order,  and  I've  mislaid  my 
matches.  I  want  to  fix " 

The  lantern-bearer,  obediently,  had  ad- 
vanced into  the  room.  He  was  half-way 
across  it  while  Lamont  was  still  speaking. 
Then,  from  the  corner  of  his  eye,  he  spied 
Alan  crouching  in  the  angle  behind  the  door, 
now  fully  exposed  to  the  rays  of  the  lantern. 

The  man  whirled  about  in  alarm  just  as 
Alan  sprang.  In  consequence  the  English- 
man's mighty  fist  whizzed  past  his  head,  miss- 
ing it  by  a  full  inch. 

The  gaoler,  recovering  from  his  amaze, 
whipped  out  one  of  the  revolvers  he  wore  in 
his  belt.  But  Jack,  leaping  forward,  knocked 
it  from  his  hand  before  he  could  fire;  and, 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  287 

with  one  hand  clapped  across  the  fellow's 
bearded  lips,  wound  his  other  arm  about  the 
stalwart  body  so  as  to  prevent  for  the  instant 
the  drawing  of  the  second  pistol. 

Alan's  first  blow  had  missed  clean;  but  his 
second  did  not.  Following  up  his  right-hand 
blow  with  all  a  trained  boxer's  swift  dexter- 
ity, he  sent  a  straight  left  hander  flush  on 
the  angle  of  the  light-bearer's  jaw.  The  man 
dropped  his  lantern  and  collapsed  into  a 
senseless  heap  on  the  floor,  while  Alan,  with 
no  further  delay,  rushed  toward  the  gaoler. 

The  fall  of  the  lantern  extinguished  the 
light.  The  cell  was  again  plunged  in  dense 
blackness,  through  which  could  be  heard  the 
panting  and  scuffling  of  the  Prince  and  the 
gaoler. 

Barely  a  second  of  time  had  elapsed  since 
first  Jack  had  seized  the  man,  but  that  second 
had  sufficed  for  the  latter  to  summon  Ms 
great  brute  strength  and  shake  off  his  less 
gigantic  opponent  and  to  draw  his  pistol. 

"  Quick,  Alan  I  "  gasped  Jack.  "  He's  got 
away  from  me.  He  '11 ' ' 

Drummond,  guided  by  his  friend's  voice, 
darted  forward  through  the  darkness,  caught 
his  foot  against  the  sprawling  body  of  the 
lantern-bearer  and  fell  heavily,  his  arms 


288  A  ROCK  IN   THE   BALTIC 

thrown  out  in  an  instinctive  gesture  of  self- 
preservation.  Even  as  he  lost  his  balance  he 
heard  a  sharp  click,  directly  in  front  of  him. 
-The  gaoler  had  pulled  the  trigger,  and  his  pis- 
tol— contract-made  and  out  of  order,  like 
many  of  the  weapons  of  common  soldiers  in 
Russia's  frontier  posts — had  missed  fire. 

To  that  luckiest  of  mishaps,  the  failure  of 
a  defective  cartridge  to  explode,  the  friends 
owed  their  momentary  safety. 

As  Alan  pitched  forward,  one  of  his  out- 
flung  arms  struck  against  an  obstacle.  It  was 
a  human  figure,  and  from  the  feel  of  the 
leather  straps,  which  his  fingers  touched  in 
the  impact,  he  knew  it  was  the  gaoler  and  not 
Lament. 

Old  football  tactics  coming  to  memory, 
Alan  clung  to  the  man  his  arm  had  chanced 
upon,  and  bore  him  along  to  the  ground ;  Jack, 
who  had  pressed  forward  in  the  darkness, 
being  carried  down  as  well  by  the  other's  fall. 

Gaoler,  Prince  and  Englishman  thus  strug- 
gled on  the  stone  floor  in  one  indistinguishable 
heap.  It  was  no  ordinary  combat  of  two  to 
one,  for  neither  of  the  prisoners  could  say 
which  was  the  gaoler  and  which  his  friend. 
The  gaoler,  troubled  by  no  such  doubts,  laid 
about  him  lustily,  and  was  only  prevented 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  289 

from  crying  out  by  the  fact  that  his  heavy 
fur  cap  had,  in  the  fall,  become  jammed 
down  over  his  face  as  far  as  the  chin  and 
could  not  for  the  moment  be  dislodged. 

He  reached  for  and  drew  the  sword-bayo- 
net that  hung  at  his  side  (for  his  second  pis- 
tol had  become  lost  in  the  scrimmage),  and 
thrust  blindly  about  him.  Once,  twice  his 
blade  met  resistance  and  struck  into  flesh. 

"  Jack,"  panted  Alan,  "  the  beast's  stab- 
bing. Get  yourself  loose  and  find  the  electric 
light." 

As  he  spoke,  Alan's  hand  found  the  gaoler's 
throat.  He  knew  it  was  not  Alan's  from  the 
rough  beard  that  covered  it.  The  gaoler, 
maddened  by  the  pressure,  stabbed  with  fresh 
fury;  most  of  his  blows,  fortunately,  going 
wild  in  the  darkness. 

Alan's  free  hand  reached  for  and  located 
the  arm  that  was  wielding  the  bayonet,  and 
for  a  moment  the  two  wrestled  desperately 
for  its  possession. 

Then  a  key  clicked,  and  the  room  was  flooded 
with  incandescent  light,  just  as  Alan,  releas- 
ing his  grip  on  the  Russian's  throat,  dealt 
him  a  short-arm  blow  on  the  chin  with  all  the 
power  of  his  practiced  muscles.  The  gaoler 
relaxed  his  tense  limbs  and  lay  still,  while 

19 


290  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

Alan,  bleeding  and  exhausted,  struggled  to 
his  feet. 

"  Hot  work,  eh?  "  he  panted.  "  Hard  po- 
sition to  land  a  knockout  from.  But  I  caught 
him  just  right.  He'll  trouble  us  no  more  for 
a  few  minutes,  I  fancy.  You're  bleeding! 
Did  he  wound  you  ?  ' 

"  Only  a  scratch  along  my  check.  And 
you?  " 

"  A  cut  on  the  wrist  and  another  on  the 
shoulder,  I  think.  Neither  of  them  bad, 
thanks  to  the  lack  of  aim  in  the  dark.  Close 
call,  that !  Now  to  tie  them  up.  Not  a  move- 
ment from  either  yet. ' ' 

"  You  must  have  come  close  to  killing  them 
with  those  sledge-hammer  blows  of  yours!  ' 

"  It  doesn't  much  matter,"  said  the  imper- 
turbable pugilist,  "  they'll  be  all  right  in  half 
an  hour.  It 's  knowing  where  to  hit.  If  there 
are  only  four  men  downstairs,  we  don't  need 
to  wear  the  clothes  of  these  beasts.  Let  us 
take  only  the  bunch  of  keys  and  the  re- 
volvers." 

Securing  these  the  two  stepped  out  into  the 
passage,  locked  and  bolted  the  door;  then 
Jack,  who  knew  his  way,  proceeded  along  the 
passage  to  the  stairway,  leaped  nimbly  up  the 
steps,  bolted  the  door  leading  to  the  military 


A   ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  291 

quarters,  then  descended  and  bolted  the  bot- 
tom door. 

"  Now  for  the  clerk,  and  then  for  the  Gov- 


ernor.' 


The  clerk's  room  connected  with  the  ar- 
mory, which  was  reached  by  passing  through 
the  apartment  that  held  turbine  and  dynamo, 
which  they  found  purring  away  merrily. 

Covering  the  frightened  clerk  with  four  re- 
volvers, Jack  told  him  in  Russian  that  if  he 
made  a  sound  it  would  be  his  last.  They  took 
him,  opened  cell  Number  Three,  which  was 
empty,  and  thrust  him  in. 

Jangling  the  keys,  the  two  entered  the  Gov- 
ernor's room.  The  ancient  man  looked  up, 
but  not  a  muscle  of  his  face  changed ;  even  his 
fishy  eyes  showed  no  signs  of  emotion  or  sur- 
prise. 

"  Governor,"  said  Jack  with  deference, 
"  although  you  are  under  the  muzzles  of  a 
quartet  of  revolvers,  no  harm  is  intended  you. 
However,  you  must  not  leave  your  place  until 
you  accompany  us  down  to  the  boat,  when  I 
shall  hand  the  keys  over  to  you,  and  in  cell 
Number  One  you  will  find  gaoler  and  lantern 
man  a  little  worse  for  wear,  perhaps,  but  still 
in  the  ring,  I  hope.  In  Number  Three  your 
clerk  is  awaiting  you.  I  go  now  to  release  your 


292  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

prisoners.  All  communication  between  your- 
self and  the  military  is  barred.  I  leave  my 
friend  on  guard  until  I  return  from  the  cells. 
You  must  not  attempt  to  summon  assistance, 
or  cry  out,  or  move  from  your  chair.  My 
friend  does  not  understand  either  Russian  or 
German,  so  there  is  no  use  in  making  any  ap- 
peal to  him,  and  much  as  I  like  you  person- 
ally, and  admire  your  assiduity  in  science.,  our 
case  is  so  desperate  that  if  you  make  any  mo- 
tion whatever,  he  will  be  compelled  to  shoot 
you  dead. ' ' 

The  Governor  bowed. 

"  May  I  continue  my  writing?  "  he  asked. 

Jack  laughed  heartily. 

"  Certainly,"  and  with  that  he  departed  to 
the  cells,  which  he  unlocked  one  by  one,  only 
to  find  them  all  empty. 

Returning,  he  said  to  the  Governor : 

"  Why  did  you  not  tell  me  that  we  were 
your  only  prisoners  ?  ' 

"  I  feared,"  replied  the  Governor  mildly, 
"  that  you  might  not  believe  me." 

"  After  all,  I  don't  know  that  I  should," 
said  Jack,  holding  out  his  hand,  which  the 
other  shook  rather  unresponsively. 

"  I  want  to  thank  you,"  the  Governor  said 
slowly,  "  for  all  you  have  told  me  about  elec- 


A  BOCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  293 

tricity.  That  knowledge  I  expect  to  put  to 
many  useful  purposes  in  the  future,  and  the 
exercise  of  it  will  also  make  the  hours  drag 
less  slowly  than  they  did  before  you  came." 

"  Oh,  that's  all  right,"  cried  Jack  with  en- 
thusiasm. "  I  am  sure  you  are  very  welcome 
to  what  teaching  I  have  been  able  to  give  you, 
and  no  teacher  could  have  wished  a  more  apt 
pupil." 

"  It  pleases  me  to  hear  you  say  that,  High- 
ness, although  I  fear  I  have  been  lax  in  my 
duties,  and  perhaps  the  knowledge  of  this 
place  which  you  have  got  through  my  neg- 
ligence, has  assisted  you  in  making  an  escape 
which  I  had  not  thought  possible." 

Jack  laughed  good-naturedly. 

"  All's  fair  in  love  and  war,"  he  said. 
"  Imprisonment  is  a  section  of  war.  I  must 
admit  that  electricity  has  been  a  powerful  aid 
to  us.  But  you  cannot  blame  yourself,  Gov- 
ernor, for  you  always  took  every  precaution, 
and  the  gaoler  was  eternally  at  my  heels.  You 
can  never  pretend  that  you  trusted  me,  you 
know." 

"  I  tried  to  do  my  duty,"  said  the  old  man 
mournfully,  "  and  if  electricity  has  been  your 
helper,  it  has  not  been  with  my  sanction. 
However,  there  is  one  point  about  electricity 


294  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

which  you  impressed  upon  me,  which  is  that 
although  it  goes  quickly,  there  is  always  a  re- 
turn current." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that,  Governor?  ' 

"  Is  it  not  so?  It  goes  by  a  wire,  and  re- 
turns through  the  earth.  I  thought  you  told 
me  that." 

"  Yes,  but  I  don't  quite  see  why  you  men- 
tion that  feature  of  the  case  at  this  particu- 
lar moment." 

"  I  wanted  to  be  sure  what  I  have  stated 
is  true.  You  see,  when  you  are  gone  there  will 
be  nobody  I  can  ask. ' ' 

All  this  time  the  aged  Governor  was  hold- 
ing Jack's  hand  rather  limply.  Drummond 
showed  signs  of  impatience. 

"  Jack,"  he  cried  at  last,  "  that  conversa- 
tion may  be  very  interesting,  but  it's  like 
smoking  on  a  powder  mine.  One  never  knows 
what  may  happen.  I  shan't  feel  safe  until 
we're  well  out  at  sea,  and  not  even  then.  Get 
through  with  your  farewells  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, and  let  us  be  off. ' ' 

"  Right  you  are,  Alan,  my  boy.  Well,  Gov- 
ernor, I'm  reluctantly  compelled  to  bid  you 
a  final  good-by,  but  here's  wishing  you  all 
sorts  of  luck." 

The    old   man    seemed    reluctant    to    part 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  295 

with    him,    and    still    clung    to    his    hand. 

"  I  wanted  to  tell  you,"  he  said,  "  of  an- 
other incident,  almost  as  startling  as  your 
coming  into  this  room  a  while  since,  that  hap- 
pened six  or  eight  months  ago.  As  perhaps 
you  know,  we  keep  a  Finland  fishing-boat 
down  in  the  cove  below." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Jack  impatiently,  drawing 
away  his  hand. 

"  Well,  six  or  eight  months  ago  that  boat 
disappeared,  and  has  never  been  heard  of 
since.  None  of  our  prisoners  was  missing; 
none  of  the  garrison  was  missing;  my  three 
assistants  were  still  here,  yet  in  the  night  the 
boat  was  taken  away." 

"Really.  How  interesting !  Never  learned 
the  secret,  did  you  ?  ' 

"  Never,  but  I  took  precautions,  when  we 
got  the  next  boat,  that  it  should  be  better 
guarded,  so  I  have  had  two  men  remain  upon 
it  night  and  day." 

"  Are  your  two  men  armed,  Governor?  ' 

"  Yes,  they  are." 

"  Then  they  must  surrender,  or  we  will  be 
compelled  to  shoot  them.  Come  down  with 
us,  and  advise  them  to  surrender  quietly, 
otherwise,  from  safe  cover  on  the  stairway, 
we  can  pot  them  in  an  open  boat." 


296  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

"  I  will  go  down  with  you,"  said  the  Gov- 
ernor, "  and  do  what  I  can." 

"  Of  course  they  will  obey  you." 

"  Yes,  they  will  obey  me — if  they  hear  me. 
I  was  going  to  add  that  only  yesterday  did  I 
arrange  the  electric  bell  down  at  the  landing, 
with,  instructions  to  those  men  to  take  a  tele- 
gram which  I  had  written  in  case  of  emer- 
gencies, to  the  mainland,  at  any  moment, 
night  or  day,  when  that  bell  rang.  Your 
Highness,  the  bell  rang  more  than  half  an 
hour  ago.  I  have  not  been  allowed  out  to  see 
the  result." 

The  placid  old  man  put  his  hand  on  the 
Prince's  shoulder,  as  if  bestowing  a  benedic- 
tion upon  him.  Drummond,  who  did  not  un- 
derstand the  lingo,  was  amazed  to  see  Jack 
fling  off  the  Governor's  grasp,  and  with  what 
he  took  to  be  a  crushing  oath  in  Russian, 
spring  to  the  door,  which  he  threw  open.  He 
mounted  the  stone  bench  which  gave  him  a 
view  of  the  sea.  A  boat,  with  two  sails  spread, 
speeding  to  the  southwest,  across  the  strong 
westerly  wind,  was  two  miles  or  more  away. 

"  Marooned,  by  God!  "  cried  the  Prince, 
swinging  round  and  presenting  his  pistol  at 
the  head  of  the  Governor,  who  stood  there  like 
a  statue  of  dejection,  and  made  no  sign. 


ARRIVAL  OF   THE  TURBINE  YACHT 

BEFORE  Jack  could  fire,  as  perhaps  lie  had 
intended  to  do,  Drummond  struck  down  his 
arm. 

"  None  of  that,  Jack,"  he  said.  "  The 
Russian  in  you  has  evidently  been  scratched, 
and  the  Tartar  has  come  uppermost.  The 
Governor  gave  a  signal,  I  suppose?  ' 

"  Yes,  he  did,  and  those  two  have  got  away 
while  I  stood  babbling  here,  feeling  a  sym- 
pathy for  the  old  villain.  That's  his  return 
current,  eh?  ' 

"  He's  not  to  blame,"  said  Drummond. 
"  It's  our  own  fault  entirely.  The  first  thing 
to  have  done  was  to  secure  that  boat." 

"  And  everything  worked  so  beautifully," 
moaned  Jack,  "  up  to  this  point,  and  one  mis- 
take ruins  it.  We  are  doomed,  Alan." 

"  It  isn't  so  bad  as  that,  Jack,"  said  the 
Englishman  calmly.  "  Should  those  men  reach 
the  coast  safely,  as  no  doubt  they  will,  it  may 
cost  Russia  a  bit  of  trouble  to  dislodge  us." 


298  A  EOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"  Why,  hang  it  all,"  cried  Jack,  "  they 
don't  need  to  dislodge  us.  All  they've  got  to 
do  is  to  stand  off  and  starve  us  out.  They  are 
not  compelled  to  fire  a  gun  or  land  a  man. ' ' 

"  They'll  have  to  starve  their  own  men  first. 
It's  not  likely  we're  going  to  go  hungry  and 
feed  our  prisoners." 

"  Oh,  we  don't  mind  a  little  thing  like  that, 
we  Russians.  They  may  send  help,  or  they 
may  not.  Probably  a  cruiser  will  come  within 
hailing  distance  and  try  to  find  out  what  the 
trouble  is.  Then  it  will  lie  off  and  wait  till 
everybody's  dead,  and  after  that  put  in  a  new 
Governor  and  another  garrison." 

"  You  take  too  pessimistic  a  view,  Jack. 
This  isn't  the  season  of  the  year  for  a  cruiser 
to  lie  off  in  the  Baltic.  Winter  is  coming  on. 
Most  of  the  harbors  in  Finland  will  be  ice- 
closed  in  a  month,  and  there's  no  shelter  here- 
abouts in  a  storm.  They'll  attack;  probably 
open  shell  fire  on  us  for  a  while,  then  attempt 
to  land  a  storming  party.  That  will  be  fun 
for  us  if  you've  got  good  rifles  and  plenty  of 
ammunition. ' ' 

Jack  raised  his  head. 

"  Oh,  we're  well-equipped,"  he  said,  "if  we 
only  have  enough  to  eat." 


299 

Springing  to  his  feet,  all  dejection  gone,  he 
said  to  the  Governor: 

"  Now,  my  friend,  we're  compelled  to  put 
you  into  a  cell.  I'm  sorry  to  do  this,  but  there 
is  no  other  course  open.  Where  is  your  larder, 
and  what  quantity  of  provisions  have  you  in 
stock?  " 

A  gloomy  smile  added  to  the  dejection  of 
the  old  man's  countenance. 

"  You  must  find  that  out  for  yourself,"  he 
said. 

"  Are  the  soldiers  upstairs  well  supplied 
with  food?" 

"  I  will  not  answer  any  of  your  questions." 

"  Oh,  very  well.  I  see  you  are  determined 
to  go  hungry  yourself.  Until  I  am  satisfied 
that  there  is  more  than  sufficient  for  my 
friend  and  me,  no  prisoner  in  my  charge  gets 
anything  to  eat.  That's  the  sort  of  gaoler  I 
am.  The  stubborn  old  beast!  "  he  cried  in 
English,  turning  to  Drummond,  "  won't  an- 
swer my  questions." 

"  What  were  you  asking  him?  ' 

"  I  want  to  know  about  the  stock  of  pro- 
visions." 

"  It's  quite  unnecessary  to  ask  about  the 
grub:  there's  sure  to  be  ample." 

"Why?" 


300  A  BOCK  IX  THE  BALTIC 

"  Why?  Because  we  have  reached  the  be- 
ginning of  winter,  as  I  said  before.  There 
must  be  months  when  no  boat  can  land  at  this 
rock.  It's  bound  to  be  provisioned  for  sev- 
eral months  ahead  at  the  very  lowest  calcula- 
tion. Now,  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  put  this 
ancient  Johnny  in  his  little  cell,  then  I'll  tell 
you  where  our  chief  danger  lies." 

The  Governor  made  neither  protest  nor 
complaint,  but  walked  into  Number  Nine,  and 
was  locked  up. 

"  Now,  Johnny,  my  boy,"  said  Drummond, 
"  our  anxiety  is  the  soldiers.  The  moment 
they  find  they  are  locked  in  they  will  blow 
those  two  doors  open  in  just  about  half  a  jiffy. 
We  can,  of  course,  by  sitting  in  front  of  the 
lower  door  night  and  day,  pick  off  the  first 
four  or  five  who  come  down,  but  if  the  rest 
make  a  rush  we  are  bound  to  be  overpowered. 
They  have,  presumably,  plenty  of  powder, 
probably  some  live  shells,  petards,  and  what- 
not, that  will  make  short  work  even  of  those 
oaken  doors.  What  do  you  propose  to  do?  ' 

"  I  propose,"  said  Jack,  "  to  fill  their 
crooked  stairway  with  cement.  There  are 
bags  and  bags  of  it  in  the  armory." 

The  necessity  for  this  was  prevented  by  an 
odd  circumstance.  The  two  young  men  were 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  301 

seated  in  the  Governor's  room,  when  at  his 
table  a  telephone  bell  rang.  Jack  had  not 
noticed  this  instrument,  and  now  took  up  the 
receiver. 

"  Hello,  Governor,"  said  a  voice,  "  your 
fool  of  a  gaoler  has  bolted  the  stairway  door, 
and  we  can't  open  it." 

"  Oh,  I  beg  pardon,"  replied  Jack,  in  what- 
ever imitation  of  the  Governor's  voice  he 
could  assume.  "  I'll  see  to  it  at  once  myself." 

He  hung  up  the  receiver  and  told  his  com- 
rade what  had  happened. 

"  One  or  both  of  these  officers  are  coming 
down.  If  we  get  the  officers  safely  into  a  cell, 
there  will  be  nobody  to  command  the  men, 
and  it  is  more  than  likely  that  the  officers 
carry  the  keys  of  the  powder  room.  I'll  turn 
out  the  electric  lamps  in  the  hall,  and  light  the 
lantern.  You  be  ready  at  the  foot  of  the 
stairway  to  fire  if  they  make  the  slightest  re- 
sistance." 

The  two  officers  came  down  the  circular 
stairway,  grumbling  at  the  delay  to  which 
they  had  been  put.  Lermontoff  took  advan- 
tage of  the  clamping  of  their  heavy  boots  in 
the  echoing  stairway  to  shove  in  the  bolts 
once  more,  and  then  followed  them,  himself 
followed  by  Drummond,  into  the  Governor's 


302  A  BOCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

room.  Switching  on  the  electric  light,  he 
said: 

"  Gentlemen,  I  am  Prince  Lermontoff,  in 
temporary  charge  of  this  prison.  The  Gov- 
ernor is  under  arrest,  and  I  regret  that  I 
must  demand  your  swords,  although  I  have 
every  reason  to  believe  that  they  will  be 
handed  back  to  you  within  a  very  few  days 
after  I  have  completed  my  investigations." 

The  officers  were  too  much  accustomed  to 
sudden  changes  in  command  to  see  anything 
odd  in  this  turn  of  affairs.  Lermontoff:  spoke 
with  a  quiet  dignity  that  was  very  convinc- 
ing, and  the  language  he  used  was  that  of  the 
nobility.  The  two  officers  handed  him  their 
swords  without  a  word  of  protest. 

"  I  must  ask  you  whether  you  have  yet  re- 
ceived your  winter  supply  of  food. ' ' 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  the  senior  officer,  "  we  had 
that  nearly  a  month  ago. ' ' 

"  Is  it  stored  in  the  military  portion  of  the 
rock,  or  below  here?  ' 

"  Our  rations  are  packed  away  in  a  room 
upstairs." 

"  I  am  sorry,  gentlemen,  that  I  must  put 
you  into  cells  until  my  mission  is  accom- 
plished. If  you  will  write  a  requisition  for 
such  rations  as  you  are  accustomed  to  receive, 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  303 

I  shall  see  that  you  are  supplied.  Meanwhile, 
write  also  an  order  to  whomsoever  you  en- 
trust in  command  of  the  men  during  your  ab- 
sence, to  grant  no  one  leave  to  come  down- 
stairs, and  ask  him  to  take  care  that  each 
soldier  is  rigidly  restricted  to  the  minimum 
quantity  of  vodka." 

The  senior  officer  sat  down  at  the  table,  and 
wrote  the  two  orders.  The  men  were  then 
placed  in  adjoining  cells,  without  the  thought 
of  resistance  even  occurring  to  them.  They 
supposed  there  had  been  some  changes  at 
headquarters,  and  were  rather  relieved  to  have 
the  assurance  of  the  Prince  that  their  arrest 
would  prove  temporary.  Further  investiga- 
tion showed  that  there  would  be  no  danger  of 
starvation  for  six  months  at  least. 

Next  day  Jack,  at  great  risk  of  his  neck, 
scaled  to  the  apex  of  the  island,  as  he  had 
thought  of  flying,  if  possible,  a  signal  of  dis- 
tress that  might  attract  some  passing  vessel. 
But  even  though  he  reached  the  sharp  ridge, 
he  saw  at  once  that  no  pole  could  be  erected 
there,  not  even  if  he  possessed  one.  The  wind 
aloft  was  terrific,  and  he  gazed  around  him  at 
an  empty  sea. 

When  four  days  had  passed  they  began  to 
look  for  the  Russian  relief  boat,  which  they, 


304  A   ROCK  IN   THE   BALTIC 

knew  would  set  out  the  moment  the  Govern- 
or's telegram  reached  St.  Petersburg. 

On  the  fifth  day  Jack  shouted  down  to 
Drummond,  who  was  standing  by  the  door. 

"  The  Russian  is  coming:  heading  direct  for 
us.  She's  in  a  hurry,  too,  crowding  on  all 
steam,  and  eating  up  the  distance  like  a  tor- 
pedo-boat destroyer.  I  think  it's  a  cruiser. 
It's  not  the  old  tub  I  came  on,  anyway." 

"  Come  down,  then,"  answered  Alan,  "  and 
we " 

A  cry  from  above  interrupted  him.  Jack, 
having  at  first  glance  spied  the  vessel  whose 
description  he  had  shouted  to  Drummond,  had 
now  turned  his  eyes  eastward  and  stood  star- 
ing aghast  toward  the  sunrise. 

"  What's  the  matter?  "  asked  Alan. 

"  Matter?  "  echoed  Jack.  "  They  must  be 
sending  the  whole  Russian  Navy  here  in  de- 
tachments to  capture  our  unworthy  selves. 
There's  a  second  boat  coming  from  the  east 
— nearer  by  two  miles  than  the  yacht.  If  I 
hadn't  been  all  taken  up  with  the  other  from 
the  moment  I  climbed  here  I'd  have  seen  her 
before." 

"  Is  she  a  yacht,  too?  " 

"  No.  Looks  like  a  passenger  tramp. 
Dirty  and " 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  305 

"  Merchantman,  maybe." 

"  No.    She's  got  guns  on  her " 

"  Merchantman  fitted  out  for  privateers- 
man,  probably.  That's  the  sort  of  craft 
Russia  would  be  likeliest  to  send  to  a  secret 
prison  like  this.  What  flag  does " 

"  No  flag  at  all.  Neither  of  them.  They're 
both  making  for  the  rock,  full  steam,  and 
from  opposite  sides.  Neither  can  see  the 
other,  I  suppose.  I " 

"  From  opposite  sides?  That  doesn't  look 
like  a  joint  expedition.  One  of  those  ships 
isn't  Russian.  But  which?  " 

Jack  had  clambered  down  and  stood  by 
Alan's  side. 

"  We  must  make  ready  for  defense  in  either 
case,"  he  said.  "  In  a  few  minutes  we'll  be 
able  to  see  them  both  from  the  platform 
below." 

"  One  of  those  boats  means  to  blow  us  out 
of  existence  if  it  can,"  mused  Jack.  "  The 
other  cannot  know  of  our  existence.  And 
yet,  if  she  doesn't,  what  is  she  doing  here, 
headed  for  the  rock?  ' 

With  that  Jack  scrambled,  slid  and  jumped 
down.  Drummond  was  very  quiet  and  seri- 
ous. Repeating  rifles  stood  in  a  row  on  the 

opposite  wall,  easy  to  get  at,  but  as  far  off  as 
20 


306  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

might  be  from  the  effects  of  a  possible  shell. 
The  two  young  men  now  mounted  the  stone 
bench  by  the  door,  which  allowed  them  to  look 
over  the  ledge  at  the  eastern  sea.  Presently 
the  craft  appeared  round  the  end  of  the  island, 
pure  white,  floating  like  a  swan  on  the  water, 
and  making  great  headway. 

"  By  Jove!  "  said  Jack,  "  she's  a  fine  one. 
Looks  like  the  Czar's  yacht,  but  no  Russian 
vessel  I  know  of  can  make  that  speed. " 

"  She's  got  the  ear-marks  of  Thornycroft 
build  about  her,"  commented  Drummond. 
"  By  Jove,  Jack,  what  luck  if  she  should 
prove  to  be  English.  No  flag  flying,  though." 

"  She's  heading  for  us,"  said  Jack,  "  and 
apparently  she  knows  which  side  the  cannon 
is  on.  If  she's  Russian,  they've  taken  it  for 
granted  we've  captured  the  whole  place,  and 
are  in  command  of  the  guns.  There,  she's 
turning." 

The  steamer  was  abreast  of  the  rock,  and 
perhaps  three  miles  distant.  Now  she  swept 
a  long,  graceful  curve  westward  and  drew  up 
about  half  a  mile  east  of  the  rock. 

"  Jove,  I  wish  I'd  a  pair  of  good  glasses," 
said  Drummond.  "  They're  lowering  a  boat." 

Jack  showed  more  Highland  excitement 
than  Russian  stolidity,  as  he  watched  the  on- 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  307 

coining  of  a  small  boat,  beautifully  riding  the 
waves,  and  masterfully  rowed  by  sailors  who 
understood  the  art.  Drummond  stood  imper- 
turbable as  a  statue. 

"  The  sweep  of  those  oars  is  English,  Jack, 
my  boy." 

As  the  boat  came  nearer  and  nearer  Jack 
became  more  and  more  agitated. 

"  I  say,  Alan,  focus  your  eyes  on  that  man 
at  the  rudder.  I  think  my  sight's  failing  me. 
Look  closely.  Did  you  ever  see  him  before  ?  ' 

"  I  think  I  have,  but  am  not  quite  sure." 

"  Why,  he  looks  to  me  like  my  jovial  and 
venerable  father-in-law,  Captain  Kempt,  of 
Bar  Harbor.  Perfectly  absurd,  of  course :  it 
can't  be." 

"  He  does  resemble  the  Captain,  but  I  only 
saw  him  once  or  twice." 

"  Hooray,  Captain  Kempt,  how  are  you?  ' 
shouted  Jack  across  the  waters. 

The  Captain  raised  his  right  hand  and 
waved  it,  but  made  no  attempt  to  cover  the 
distance  with  his  voice.  Jack  ran  pell-mell 
down  the  steps,  and  Drummond  followed  in 
more  leisurely  fashion.  The  boat  swung 
round  to  the  landing,  and  Captain  Kempt 
cried  cordially: 

"  Hello,  Prince,  how  are  you?    And  that's 


308  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

Lieutenant  Drummond,  isn't  it?  Last  time 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  Drummond, 
was  that  night  of  the  ball." 

"  Yes,"  said  Drummond.  "  I  was  very 
glad  to  see  you  then,  but  a  hundred  times  hap- 
pier to  see  you  to-day." 

"  I  was  just  cruising  round  these  waters  in 
my  yacht,  and  I  thought  I'd  take  a  look  at 
this  rock  you  tried  to  obliterate.  I  don't  see 
any  perceptible  damage  done,  but  what  can 
you  expect  from  British  marksmanship?  ' 

"  I  struck  the  rock  on  the  other  side,  Cap- 
tain. I  think  your  remark  is  unkind,  espe- 
cially as  I've  just  been  praising  the  water- 
manship of  your  men." 

"  Now,  are  you  boys  tired  of  this  summer 
resort?  "  asked  Captain  Kempt.  "  Is  your 
baggage  checked,  and  are  you  ready  to  go? 
Most  seaside  places  are  deserted  this  time  of 
year." 

"  We'll  be  ready  in  a  moment,  Captain," 
cried  his  future  son-in-law.  "  I  must  run  up 
and  get  the  Governor.  We've  put  a  number 
of  men  in  prison  here,  and  they'll  starve  if 
not  released.  The  Governor's  a  good  old  chap, 
though  he  played  it  low  down  on  me  a  few 
days  ago,"  and  with  that  Jack  disappeared 
up  the  stairway  once  more. 


A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC  309 

"Had  a  gaol-delivery  here?"  asked  the 
Captain. 

"  Well,  something  by  way  of  that.  The 
Prince  drilled  a  hole  in  the  rock,  and  we  got 
out.  We've  put  the  garrison  in  pawn,  so  to 
speak,  but  I've  been  mighty  anxious  these  last 
few  days  because  the  sail-boat  they  had  here, 
and  two  of  the  garrison,  escaped  to  the  main- 
land with  the  news.  We  were  anxiously 
watching  your  yacht,  fearing  it  was  Russian. 
Jack  thought  it  was  the  Czar's  yacht.  How 
came  you  by  such  a  craft,  Captain?  Splen- 
did-looking boat  that." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  bought  her  a  few  days  before  I 
left  New  York.  One  likes  to  travel  comfort- 
ably, you  know.  Very  well  fitted  up  she 


is.r 


Jack  shouted  from  the  doorway: 
"  Drummond,  come  up  here  and  fling  over- 
board these  loaded  rifles.  We  can't  take  any 
more  chances.  I'm  going  to  lock  up  the  am- 
munition room  and  take  the  key  with  me  as  a 
souvenir." 

"  Excuse  me,  Captain,"  said  Drummond, 
who  followed  his  friend,  and  presently  bun- 
dles of  rifles  came  clattering  down  the  side 
of  the  precipice,  plunging  into  the  sea.  The 
two  then  descended  the  steps,  Jack  in  front, 


310  A  EOCK   IX   THE   BALTIC 

Drummond  following  with  the  Governor  be- 
tween them. 

"  Now,  Governor,"  said  Jack,  "  for  the 
second  time  I  am  to  bid  you  farewell.  Here 
are  the  keys.  If  you  accept  them  you  must 
give  me  your  word  of  honor  that  the  boat  will 
not  be  fired  upon.  If  you  do  not  promise 
that,  I'll  drop  the  bunch  into  the  sea,  and  on 
your  gray  head  be  the  consequences." 

"  I  give  you  my  word  of  honor  that  you 
shall  not  be  fired  upon." 

"  Very  well,  Governor.  Here  are  the  keys, 
and  good-by." 

In  the  flurry  of  excitement  over  the  yacht's 
appearance,  both  Jack  and  Drummond  had 
temporarily  forgotten  the  existence  of  the 
tramp  steamer  the  former  had  seen  beating 
toward  the  rock. 

Now  Lamont  suddenly  recalled  it. 

"  By  the  way,  Governor,"  he  said,  "  the 
relief  boat  you  so  thoughtfully  sent  for  is  on 
her  way  here.  She  should  reach  the  rock  at 
almost  any  minute  now.  In  fact,  I  fancy 
we've  little  time  to  waste  if  we  want  to *a void 
a  brush.  It  would  be  a  pity  to  be  nabbed  now 
at  the  eleventh  hour.  Good-by,  once  more." 

But  the  Governor  had  stepped  between 
him  and  the  boat. 


A  ROCK  IN   THE   BALTIC  311 

"  I — I  am  an  old  man,'7  he  said,  speaking 
with  manifest  embarrassment.  "  I  was  sent 
to  take  charge  of  this  prison  as  punishment 
for  refusing  to  join  a  Jew  massacre  plot. 
Governorship  here  means  no  more  nor  less 
than  a  life  imprisonment.  My  wife  and  chil- 
dren are  on  a  little  estate  of  mine  in  Sweden. 

It  is  twelve  years  since  I  have  seen  them. 
j » 

"  If  this  story  is  a  ruse  to  detain  us " 

"  No!  No!  "  protested  the  Governor,  and 
there  was  no  mistaking  his  pathetic,  eager 
sincerity.  "  But — but  I  shall  be  shot — or 
locked  in  one  of  the  cells  and  the  water 
turned  on — for  letting  you  escape.  Won't 
you  take  me  with  you?  I  will  work  my  pas- 
sage. Take  me  as  far  as  Stockholm.  I  shall 
be  free  there — free  to  join  my  wife  and  to 
live  forever  out  of  reach  of  the  Grand  Dukes. 
Take  me " 

"  Jump  in!  "  ordered  Jack,  coming  to  a 
sudden  resolution.  "  Heaven  knows  I  would 
not  condemn  my  worst  enemy  to  a  perpetual 
life  on  this  rock.  And  you've  been  pretty  de- 
cent to  us,  according  to  your  lights.  Jump 
aboard,  we've  no  time  to  waste." 

Nor  did  the  Governor  waste  time  in  obey- 
ing. The  others  followed,  and  the  boat 


312  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

shoved  off.  But  scarcely  had  the  oars  caught 
the  water  when  around  the  promontory  came 
a  large  man-o'- war's  launch,  a  rapid-fire  gun 
mounted  on  her  bows.  She  was  manned  by 
about  twenty  men  in  Russian  police  uniform. 

"  From  the  *  tramp/  commented  Alan 
excitedly.  "  And  her  gun  is  trained  on  us." 

"  Get  down  to  work!  "  shouted  Jack  to  the 
straining  oarsmen. 

"  No  use!  "  groaned  Kempt.  "  She'll  cross 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  us.  There's  no 
missing  at  such  close  range  and  on  such  a 
quiet  sea.  What  a  fool  I  was  to " 

The  launch  was,  indeed,  bearing  down  on 
them  despite  the  rowers'  best  efforts,  and 
must  unquestionably  cut  them  off  before  they 
could  reach  the  yacht. 

Alan  drew  his  revolver. 

"  We've  no  earthly  show  against  her,"  he 
remarked  quietly,  "  and  it  seems  hard  to  *  go 
down  in  sight  of  port.'  But  let's  do  what  we 
can." 

"  Put  up  that  pop-gun,"  ordered  Kempt. 
"  She  will  sink  us  long  before  you're  in  range 
for  revolver  work.  I'll  run  up  my  handker- 
chief for  a  white  flag." 

"  To  surrender?  ' 

"  What  else  can  we  do  V 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  313 

"  And  be  lugged  back  to  the  rock,  all  of  us? 
Not  I,  for  one!  " 

The  launch  was  now  within  hailing  dis- 
tance, and  every  man  aboard  her  was  glaring 
at  the  helpless  little  yacht-gig. 

"  Wait!  " 

It  was  the  Governor  who  spoke. 

Rising  from  his  seat  in  the  stern,  he  hailed 
the  officer  who  was  sighting  the  rapid-fire  gun. 

"  Lieutenant  Tschersky!  "  he  called. 

At  sight  of  the  old  man's  lean,  uniformed 
figure,  rising  from  among  the  rest,  there  was 
visible  excitement  and  surprise  aboard  the 
launch.  The  officer  saluted  and  ordered  the 
engine  stopped  that  he  might  hear  more 
/.plainly. 

"  Lieutenant/'  repeated  the  Governor,  "  I 
am  summoned  aboard  His  Highness  the 
Grand  Duke  Vladimir's  yacht.  You  will 
proceed  to  the  harbor  and  await  my  return  to 
the  rock.  There  has  been  a  mutiny  among 
the  garrison,  but  I  have  quelled  it. ' ' 

The  officer  saluted  again,  gave  an  order, 
and  the  launch's  nose  pointed  for  the  rock. 

"  Governor,"  observed  Lamont,  as  the  old 
man  sank  again  into  his  seat,  "  you've  earned 
your  passage  to  Stockholm.  You  need  not 
work  for  it." 


CHAPTER   XXI 

THE  ELOPEMENT 

THE  girls  on  the  yacht  had  no  expectation 
that  Captain  Kempt  would  come  back  with 
the  two  young  men.  But  when,  through  their 
powerful  binoculars,  the  girls  became  aware 
that  Drummond  and  the  Prince  were  in  the 
small  boat,  they  both  fled  to  the  chief  saloon, 
and  sat  there  holding  one  another's  hands. 
Even  the  exuberant  Kate  for  once  had  noth- 
ing to  say.  She  heard  the  voice  of  her  father 
on  deck,  giving  command  to  the  mate. 

"  Make  for  Stockholm,  Johnson.  Take  my 
men-o '-war's  men — see  that  no  one  else 
touches  the  ammunition — and  fling  the  shells 
overboard.  Heave  the  gun  after  them,  and 
then  clear  out  the  rifles  and  ammunition  the 
same  way.  When  we  reach  Stockholm  to- 
morrow morning,  there  must  not  be  a  gun  on 
board  this  ship,  and  the  ridiculous  rumor  that 
got  abroad  among  your  men  that  we  were 
going  to  attack  something  or  other,  you  will 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  315 

see  is  entirely  unfounded.  You  impress  that 
on  them,  Johnson." 

"  Oh,  Dorothy,7'  whispered  Katherine, 
drawing  a  deep  breath.  "  If  you  are  as 
frightened  as  I  am,  get  behind  me." 

"  I  think  I  will,"  answered  Dorothy,  and 
each  squeezed  the  other's  hand. 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Captain,"  sounded 
the  confident  voice  of  the  Prince.  "  This 
vessel  is  a  beauty.  You  have  done  yourself 
fine.  I  had  no  idea  you  were  such  a  sybarite. 
Why,  I've  been  aboard  the  Czar's  yacht,  and 
I  tell  you  it's  nothing —  Great  heavens! 
Katherine!  "  he  shouted,  in  a  voice  that  made 
the  ceiling  ring. 

She  was  now  standing  up  and  advanced  to- 
ward him  with  both  hands  held  out,  a  welcom- 
ing smile  on  her  pretty  lips,  but  he  swooped 
down  on  her,  flung  his  arms  round  her  like  a 
cabman  beating  warmth  into  his  hands,  kissed 
her  on  the  brow,  the  two  cheeks  and  the  lips, 
swaying  her  back  and  forward  as  if  about  to 
fling  her  upstairs. 

"  Stop,  stop,"  she  cried.  "  Aren't  you 
ashamed  of  yourself  ?  Before  my  father,  too ! 
You  great  Russian  bear!  "  and,  breathless, 
she  put  her  open  palm  against  his  face,  and 
shoved  his  head  away  from  her. 


316  A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC 

"  Don't  bother  about  me,  Kate,"  said  her 
father.  "  That's  nothing  to  the  way  we  acted 
when  I  was  young.  Come  on,  boys,  to  the 
smoking-room,  and  I'll  mix  you  something 
good:  real  Kentucky,  twenty-seven  years  in 
barrel,  and  I've  got  all  the  other  materials 
for  a  Manhattan." 

"  Jack,  I  am  glad  to  see  you,"  panted 
Katherine,  all  in  disarray,  which  she  en- 
deavored to  set  right  by  an  agitated  touch 
here  and  there.  "  Now,  Jack,  I'm  going  to 
take  you  to  the  smoking-room,  but  you'll 
have  to  behave  yourself  as  you  walk  along 
the  deck.  I  won't  be  made  a  spectacle  of  be- 
fore the  crew." 

"  Come  along,  Drummond,"  said  the  Cap- 
tain, "  and  bring  Miss  Dorothy  with  you." 

But  Drummond  stood  in  front  of  Dorothy 
Amhurst,  and  held  out  his  hand. 

"  You  haven't  forgotten  me,  Miss  Am- 
hurst, I  hope?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  she  replied,  with  a  very  faint 
smile,  taking  his  hand. 

"  It  seems  incredible  that  you  are  here," 
he  began.  "  What  a  lucky  man  I  am.  Cap- 
tain Kempt  takes  his  yacht  to  rescue  his  son- 
in-law  that  is  to  be,  and  incidentally  rescues 
me  as  well,  and  then  to  find  you  here !  I  sup- 


3 

£s 


Ix 


c  «*> 

rt  4; 

c  S? 

Sn"5 

OH 


A  ROCK       '   THE  BALTIC  317 

pose   you   came   because   your   friend   Miss 

Kempt  was  aboard?  ' 
"  Yes,  we  are  all  but  inseparable. " 
"  I  wrote  you  a  letter,  Miss  Amhurst,  the 

last  night  I  was  in  St.  Petersburg  in  the 


summer/ 


"  Yes,  I  received  it." 

"  No,  not  this  one.  It  was  the  night  I  was 
captured,  and  I  never  got  a  chance  to  post  it. 
It  was  an  important  letter — for  me." 

"  I  thought  it  important — for  me,"  replied 
Dorothy,  now  smiling  quite  openly.  "  The 
Nihilists  got  it,  searching  your  room  after 
you  had  been  arrested.  It  was  sent  on  to  New 
York,  and  given  to  me." 

"  Is  that  possible?  How  did  they  know  it 
was  for  you?  r 

"  I  had  been  making  inquiries  through  the 
Nihilists." 

"  I  wrote  you  a  proposal  of  marriage, 
Dorothy." 

"  It  certainly  read  like  it,  but  you  see  it 
wasn't  signed,  and  you  can't  be  held  to  it." 

He  reached  across  the  table,  and  grasped 
her  two  hands. 

"  Dorothy,  Dorothy,"  he  cried,  "  do  you 
mean  you  would  have  cabled  '  Yes  "? ' 

11  No." 


318  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

"You  would  not?  " 

"  Of  course  not.  I  should  have  cabled 
'  Undecided.'  One  gets  more  for  one's  money 
in  sending  a  long  word.  Then  I  should  have 
written — "  she  paused,  and  he  cried  eagerly: 

"  What?  " 

"  What  do  you  think?  "  she  asked. 

"  Well,  do  you  know,  Dorothy,  I  am  begin- 
ning to  think  my  incredible  luck  will  hold, 
and  that  you'd  have  written  '  Yes.' 

"  I  don't  know  about  the  luck:  that  would 
have  been  the  answer." 

He  sprang  up,  bent  over  her,  and  she,  quite 
unaffectedly  raised  her  face  to  his. 

"  Oh,  Dorothy,"  he  cried. 

"  Oh,  Alan,"  she  replied,  with  quivering 
voice,  "  I  never  thought  to  see  you  again.  You 
cannot  imagine  the  long  agony  of  this  voyage, 
and  not  knowing  what  had  happened." 

"  It's  a  blessing,  Dorothy,  you  had  learned 
nothing  about  the  TrogzmondofL " 

"  Ah,  but  I  did:  that's  what  frightened  me. 
We  have  a  man  on  board  who  was  flung  for 
dead  from  that  dreadful  rock.  The  Baltic 
saved  him;  his  mother,  he  calls  it." 

Drummond  picked  her  up  in  his  arms,  and 
carried  her  to  the  luxurious  divan  which  ran 
along  the  side  of  the  large  room.  There  they 


A  ROCK  IN  THE  BALTIC  319 

sat  down  together,  out  of  sight  of  the 
stairway. 

"  Did  you  get  all  of  my  letters?  ' 

"  I  think  so." 

"  You  know  I  am  a  poor  man?  ' 

"  I  know  you  said  so." 

"  Don't  you  consider  my  position  poverty? 
I  thought  every  one  over  there  had  a  con- 
tempt for  an  income  that  didn't  run  into  tens 
of  thousands." 

"  I  told  you,  Alan,  I  had  been  unused  to 
money,  and  so  your  income  appears  to  me 
quite  sufficient." 

"  Then  you  are  not  afraid  to  trust  in  my 
future?  " 

"  Not  the  least:  I  believe  in  you." 

"  Oh,  you  dear  girl.  If  you  knew  how 
sweet  that  sounds!  Then  I  may  tell  you. 
When  I  was  in  London  last  I  ran  down  to 
Dartmouth  in  Devonshire.  I  shall  be  stationed 
there.  You  see,  I  have  finished  my  foreign 
cruising,  and  Dartmouth  is,  for  a  time  at 
least,  to  be  my  home.  There's  a  fine  harbor 
there,  green  hills  and  a  beautiful  river  run- 
ning between  them,  and  I  found  such  a  lovely 
old  house ;  not  grand  at  all,  you  know,  but  so 
cosey  and  comfortable,  standing  on  the  heights 
overlooking  the  harbor,  in  an  old  garden  filled 


320  A  ROCK  IN   THE  BALTIC 

with  roses,  shrubs,  and  every  kind  of  flower; 
vines  clambering  about  the  ancient  house. 
Two  servants  would  keep  it  going  like  a  shot. 
Dorothy,  what  do  you  say?  ' 

Dorothy  laughed  quietly  and  whole  heart- 
edly. 

"  It  reads  like  a  bit  from  an  old  Engh'sh 
romance.  I'd  just  love  to  see  such  a  house." 

"  You  don't  care  for  this  sort  of  thing,  do 
you?  "  he  asked,  glancing  round  about  him. 

"What  sort  of  thing?" 

"  This  yacht,  these  silk  pannellings,  these 
gorgeous  pictures,  the  carving,  the  gilt,  the 
horribly  expensive  carpet." 

"  You  mean  should  I  feel  it  necessary  to 
be  surrounded  by  such  luxury?  I  answer 
most  emphatically,  no.  I  like  your  ivy-cov- 
ered house  at  Dartmouth  much  better." 

For  a  moment  neither  said  anything:  lips 
cannot  speak  when  pressed  together. 

"  Now,  Dorothy,  I  want  you  to  elope  with 
me.  We  will  be  in  Stockholm  long  before 
daylight  to-morrow  at  the  rate  this  boat  is 
going.  I'll  get  ashore  as  soon  as  practicable, 
and  make  all  inquiries  at  the  consulate  about 
being  married.  I  don't  know  what  the  regula- 
tions are,  but  if  it  is  possible  to  be  married 
quietly,  say  in  the  afternoon,  will  you  consent 


A  ROCK  IN   THE   BALTIC  321 

to  that,  and  then  write  a  letter  to  Captain 
Kempt,  thanking  him  for  the  trip  on  the 
yacht,  and  I'll  write,  thanking  him  for  all  he 
has  done  for  me,  and  after  that  we'll  make 
for  England  together.  I've  got  a  letter  of 
credit  in  my  pocket,  which  luckily  the  Rus- 
sians did  not  take  from  me.  I  shall  find  all 
the  money  we  need  at  Stockholm,  then  we'll 
cross  the  Swedish  country,  sail  to  Denmark, 
make  our  way  through  Germany  to  Paris,  if 
you  like,  or  to  London.  We  shan't  travel  all 
the  time,  but  just  take  nice  little  day  trips, 
stopping  at  some  quaint  old  town  every  after- 
noon and  evening." 

"  You  mean  to  let  Captain  Kempt,  Kathe- 
rine,  and  the  Prince  go  to  America  alone?  ' 

"  Of  course.  Why  not?  They  don't  want 
us,  and  I'm  quite  sure  we — well,  Dorothy, 
we'd  be  delighted  to  have  them,  to  be  sure— 
but  still,  I've  knocked  a  good  deal  about 
Europe,  and  there  are  some  delightful  old 
towns  I'd  like  to  show  you,  and  I  hate  travel- 
ing with  a  party. ' ' 

Dorothy  laughed  so  heartily  that  her  head 
sank  on  his  shoulder. 

"  Yes,  I'll  do  that,"  she  said  at  last. 

And  they  did. 

THE  END 


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